News

-Commissioners Deny Million Dollar Request From Norwood

-Commissioners Discuss Mill Creek Park Site

-Community Officials Organize for Wastewater Treatment Plant

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Commissioners Deny Million Dollar Request From Norwood

Norwood School District Superintendent Todd Bissell and Norwood Mayor Candy Meehan met with county commissioners on Wednesday, March 19, to request $1 million to help fund ongoing efforts for a grant to build a new public school.

“Right now, we have a physical condition of the school that’s directly affecting the school’s performance, the kids’ well-being, and the overall sustainability of the community at this rate,” Meehan said. “Deteriorating schools lead to increased absenteeism, lower test scores, and higher dropout rates. These health risks from the asbestos and the mold and the outdated electrical and plumbing systems just threaten our students and our staff every single day. In critical areas like the gym are becoming more and more accessible to kids with disabilities reinforcing inequality that should be there rather than inclusion.”

For the past two years, a bond measure to fund the new school building has failed with voters. The bond would have funded a matching portion of the BEST grant—a state-funded program that could provide up to $80 million.

Meehan said this is the district’s third attempt at the grant, seeking private, public, and county funds to obtain a match for the application.

County commissioners were reluctant to state outright opposition to the request.

“Unfortunately, I’m deeply reluctant as I hear your plea and share your concerns to start a precedent of county funds being requested by other special taxing districts within the county,” Commissioner Lance Waring said. “I’m happy to hear my fellow commissioners and be swayed by that, but for now, that is my position.”

Waring also corrected a statement in a letter from Meehan and Bissell that neighboring school districts are at or near capacity.

“Candy, the one question I had was your statement that the Telluride school has a waiting list,” Waring said. “I was actually able to reach John Pandolfo, the superintendent of the Telluride School District, yesterday, and he said the opposite. He said that there is room in the Telluride school. I’m not suggesting that is a solution, but I did want to clarify that misunderstanding from your side.”

The Norwood School District and town government have explored many options, including an EPA Brownfield grant, which would have funded asbestos abatement. That grant is currently on hold due to federal funding delays.

Commissioners cited concerns about setting a precedent for donating to a special taxing district.

“For me, as District 3 commissioner and a Wright’s Mesa resident, this is a really challenging issue to weigh in on,” Commissioner Galena Gleason said. “I deeply understand the need, and there is disparity throughout the county. Everything you said today, Mayor Meehan and Mr. Bissell, absolutely resonates. But coming from the place of representing the county and the taxpayers as a whole and the precedent that it might set, it’s a real conundrum, right? It’s fairly unprecedented for the county to commit this level of funding to a special district.”

Bissell said the district has reduced the projected cost of the new school from $72 million to $60 million in an effort to make the BEST grant application more appealing to both the state and the community.

Commissioner Anne Brown called it a difficult situation.

“It just sets a really difficult precedent,” Brown said. “The fact that no other counties in the state that we have been able to find out that have done this suggests to me that there’s a reason. So that is a huge concern of mine. The last thing is that the voters opposed this. For us to kind of end around the Norwood School District and say you don’t have confidence in this project enough to support it. For us to say, well, rich people on the east end want it to happen, I just don’t feel comfortable with that.”

Brown added that she does not support Norwood students being required to commute to other districts. While commissioners ultimately denied the funding request, they offered to write a letter of support for the district’s BEST grant application.

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Commissioner Discuss Mill Creek Park Site

There may be a new park in San Miguel County. A one-acre site off Mill Creek, located near Highway 145, is slated for continued development.

The site is just off the highway next to Mill Creek Road. The parks and recreation department has conducted site work and analysis over the past few years, grading and preparing vision plans for what the park could become.

Originally part of San Miguel City, the parcel is deeded for open space and is surrounded by land that could be utilized for future housing. County Parks and Open Space Director Janet Kask presented to the County Commissioners on March 19 about future plans for the park.

“Again, we consider this park site an amenity to the community,” Kask said. “This is the first thing you see as you enter the town of Telluride. We would really like to make it special to continue to provide some community benefit.”

Conceptual plans for the park include benches and tables, a walking path, a pollinator garden, and a bike repair station.

“The final thing that I would say is to see this as a value of the park in between these two where people can take their dogs and their kids, and it’s right along the bike path,” said County Open Space Commission Chair Susie St. Onge. “It’s got everything. It’s just kind of natural, even our play structures are going to be natural, and the pollinator park, I think, is going to be a huge environmental value as well.”

Parks department staff presented next steps and budget estimates, most of which involve grading the property and laying topsoil and a native seed mix. The estimated cost of this phase is approximately $175,000, which gave commissioners pause.

“I have not myself heard any positive feedback from the community in terms of desire for the park or in terms of using it right now,” Commissioner Anne Brown said. “I have only heard from people, not many, who have read my opinion in the paper over the years about spending hundreds of thousands of dollars on this park.”

While the parcel is deeded for open space, the last survey on the park was conducted in 2020.

“Given the fact that I haven’t heard from the public and, on the other hand, heard, ‘What are we even thinking?’ I do think it would be useful to send out a survey, and it doesn’t have to take forever,” Brown said.

She added:

“$175,000 is giving me pause for foundation work without surveying, without an agreed-upon plan. I’m just wondering if that could be pared back at all.”

Commissioners Brown and Galena Gleason directed parks and open space staff to conduct another survey and move forward with requests for proposals for dirt work. While the $175,000 estimate for site work won’t be confirmed until proposals come in, County Manager Mike Bordogna clarified the funding source.

“Sometimes the public misunderstands that if you don’t spend it there, then that’s just more money to spend on housing,” Bordogna said. “That’s just not the case. These funds are restricted specifically for the development of these types of facilities. They do have the funds in the budget to accommodate it.”

Commissioner Gleason commented on the value of the Mill Creek area and how the development of a park would benefit the quality of life for families and commuters coming into Telluride. A new survey on the vision for the park is expected during the summer.

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Community Officials Organize for Wastewater Treatment Plant

One of the largest infrastructure projects in the Telluride region is taking shape—and just in time. Since the 1980s, the regional wastewater treatment plant at Society Turn has provided services to Telluride, Mountain Village, and surrounding communities. Costs are split roughly 30% and 70% between the Town of Mountain Village and the Town of Telluride. Officials say the outdated facility needs upgrades, and the best plan of action is to build a new facility down valley.

Brandon Bear with water consulting group SGM presented alongside community officials to the San Miguel County Board of County Commissioners on March 19.

“Some current challenges with the existing facility is the capacity and treatment challenges,” Bear said. “There’s plenty of hydraulic capacity, but the BOD limit, the organic matter, has become increasingly difficult to meet. That also stems from the tourism and the festivals that go on. It’s an older facility, so there are some components that you can no longer get. There’s limited redundancy, so you can’t take tanks offline, and that contributes to the operation staff having a tough time keeping everything going. Technology deficiencies—it was built in the mid-’80s, it wasn’t designed to meet the new regulations that are coming out by CDPHE. Unexpected costs—since it’s old, there are unexpected costs that you have to deal with immediately. There’s not as much expansion space at the existing facility.”

The current Society Turn facility accommodates 2.1 million gallons per day. While the facility can meet current needs, it still costs a significant amount for improvements and maintenance. Town of Mountain Village Assistant Manager Michelle Haynes said,

“We’re averaging around $2 million. We had a spike in 2021—those were additional capital costs. We estimate in 2025 to be spending $4.1 million. We will continue to be expending funds towards improvements until our new plant is online. We have a horizon of seven years that we’ve been working with, that we feel comfortable continuing to work on the new plant, keep the existing plant operational until the new plant comes online.”

Officials presented to the County Commissioners on the proposed new facility site, located next to the Colorado Department of Transportation highway station at Deep Creek. The site was purchased for $1.1 million from the Alexander Ranch, with just under four acres of usable space. Mountain Village Town Manager Paul Wisor said,

“The reality, given our future needs, is that site is not large enough to do what we need to do in the future. We have for a long time talked about retrofitting the current plant, and I’ve been here long enough to remember when that cost was about $40 million. It is now $133 million. The reality is that that is a retrofit that is not going to be able to properly serve us. So what we’re thinking about doing and proposing to do is a brand-new plant that can serve this community for the next 50-plus years at a cost that is less than or equal to what a retrofit on the current site would be.”

The new wastewater facility would have modern upgrades, comply with state water and health regulations, and have up to a 2.6 million-gallon-per-day capacity. Officials from both towns are looking to create a regional wastewater authority—a governmental entity that would assess wastewater fees, take on debt for the new facility, and handle the planning process of construction.

“Is it an easy task? It is not an easy task,” Haynes said. “It’s going to be expensive, it’s gonna take time, and it takes every person here to have the political, personal, and financial will to make this happen if you want a treatment plant that works. We have a treatment plant today, and it’s unlike the gondola. Where if the gondola is down, you run the buses. We don’t have a backup option right now, and we have a lot of young laborers in our region and not a lot of workers. We are working to get this done. And I’m getting a little emotional around this because it’s more than a sales pitch, it’s millions of dollars of time and voluntary time with a lot of people here that believe this is the next best choice. There are so many ways to kill a big project, there are so many people that can kill a big project. We’re going to keep trying, and maybe it’ll die down the road because it’ll fall apart over stupid matters. Let’s just stick with the big picture here, and I hope we can get this done.”

The next steps are to continue working with SGM and partners to create a site plan and obtain permission from San Miguel County for a subdivision adjustment in zoning—the site is currently zoned under forestry. Haynes said they’re operating within a seven-year timeframe for the existing facility.

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Telluride’s Got Talent Returns for 2025

Join the Telluride Education Foundation for the 2025 edition of Telluride’s Got Talent, an all-school, family lip-sync and talent show.

The event takes place on Friday, March 28, from 5:30 to 8 p.m. at the Michael D. Palm Theatre. Tickets are $10 for adults and $5 for students.

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Sci-Fi Fans Unite for ‘Do Androids Dream of Electric Sheep?’

The Wilkinson Public Library is hosting its Sci-Fi Read It, Watch It Club, featuring Philip K. Dick’s Do Androids Dream of Electric Sheep?

On Friday, March 28, the club will meet in the program room at 5 p.m. to discuss the book. At 5:30 p.m., a screening of Blade Runner—the film adaptation—will begin.

Readers can attend even if they didn’t sign up for a free giveaway copy of the book. The library will also provide snacks.

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Colorado Senate Passes Bill to Name State Mushroom

A bill to designate Agaricus julius as the official Colorado state mushroom has recently passed the Senate. Commonly known as the “emperor,” Agaricus julius is an edible mushroom typically found at 9,000 feet elevation under spruce trees.

Thornton High School teacher Greg Sanchez began lobbying for a state mushroom in 2021 as an experiment for his civics students.

“In my civics class, one of our units involves civic engagement, and so I initially reached out to my representative at that point because I wanted to model the students something that we could possibly do,” Sanchez said. “Starting from there, I had some trouble getting a response, but I kept at it, and eventually, we got support from Representative Phillips this year.”

Representative Jacque Phillips, a Democrat from Adams County, is one of two prime sponsors who introduced the bill in late January. After Sanchez’s initial movement lost momentum, the Western Colorado Mycological Association (WCMA) stepped in to revive it and nominated Agaricus julius.

WCMA President and fungus enthusiast Hamilton Pevec says Agaricus julius is also a personal favorite of his.

“I’ve had an affinity for Agaricus julius for quite some time as a rare, precious, and delicious edible mushroom, and it was actually the very first mushroom costume that I made,” Pevec said. “So I immediately nominated Agaricus julius, and it wasn’t very difficult to convince the others because it ticked most of the boxes—all the boxes—as a nominee.”

Pevec says those qualifications include being unique to Colorado and not already designated by another state.

The bill now heads to Governor Jared Polis for a signature. If signed, this special little mushroom will officially become Colorado’s newest mascot.

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Boebert Holds Tightly Managed Tele-Town Hall

While many Republicans are avoiding town halls, Colorado Congresswoman Lauren Boebert took questions from constituents Wednesday night. However, as KUNC’s Lucas Brady Woods reports, the event was tightly managed and held over the phone.

Story begins at 16:42

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Report Warns of Economic Consequences From Proposed Budget Cuts

A new report warns that potential budget cuts to Medicaid and the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) could lead to severe economic consequences for all states. In Colorado, that could mean thousands of jobs lost and more than $1 billion in economic damage.

The report comes just weeks after House Republicans, including Colorado Rep. Jeff Hurd, voted to approve a budget that includes $880 billion in spending cuts while providing tax breaks for the wealthiest Americans.

According to the nonpartisan Congressional Budget Office, cutting that much from the federal budget would be nearly impossible without reducing funding for Medicare, Medicaid, or the Children’s Health Insurance Program.

For Rocky Mountain Community Radio, KVNF’s Lisa Young spoke to Jonathan Cohee, CEO of Delta Health, about how Medicaid cuts would impact the small rural hospital and its clinics on Colorado’s Western Slope.

Story begins at 17:42