Brief by Marcia Darnell
San Luis Valley – August 2005 – Colorado Central Magazine
Spuds to the Rescue!
Enviro firm Arcadis has proposed using unsellable potatoes to clean up Summitville. The runty taters would be combined with ethanol to reduce oxidation, and therefore reduce percolation of minerals in the soil around the old mine. This plan would mean building and running an ethanol plant, creating an estimated 50 -100 jobs, and would also generate a market for unwanted spuds. The company says it’s had success with the method in smaller venues.
New Slate in SF
South Fork’s board of trustees appointed fishing guide Mike McCormick to the board and selected Larry Heersink as mayor. Heersink had been mayor pro-tem since the last mayor resigned in April. Among other business, the board approved expansion plans for the Hungry Logger.
School Looking To Change
The revolving door of school politics continues. Centennial School District in San Luis, which is more than a third of a million dollars in the hole, hired Diana Cortez as superintendent but is still looking for school principals. The district also uncovered the existence of a storage facility crammed with new office furniture. Both furniture and locker had been leased for six months. Both leases will be canceled.
McNeils Win Again
Mike and Cathy McNeil, profiled in the October 1999 edition of Colorado Central have been honored again for their conservation efforts. The Monte Vista couple received an outstanding leadership award from the Colorado Cattlemen’s Association. The award included a $10,000 check.
Village Votes
Colorado Wild, an enviro group in Durango, filed two lawsuits against the U.S. Forest Service seeking to prevent the proposed Wolf Creek Village development. Earlier, the USFS delayed until September its OK for the developers to build roads, pending the completion of an Environmental Impact Statement.
Meanwhile, the developers are conducting pre-building soil tests at the site.
Brief Briefs
Valley violin prodigy Aspen Quirico received her very own violin from an anonymous donor. The 12-year-old’s new instrument was crafted by Ernst Roth of Germany.
Matt Hardesty of Alamosa won the gold medal at the American Homebrewers Association convention. His Bellringer Ale was judged the best.
Adams State president Richard Wueste was placed on administrative leave. No reason was given by the board of trustees.
Tom Bobicki is the new head of the Alamosa Downtown Merchants Association. He says he plans to increase membership.
Capulin native Marie Gallegos finished a two-year Peace Corps stint in Ecuador.
Alamosa and Alamosa County’s November election will be by mail. The costs will be shared by the two entities. All of Alamosa’s city council members are standing for re-election.
Homelake History Center is now open to the public from 9-11 a.m. Tuesdays.
The PBS show La Raza was pre-screened at Adams State College. Several scenes of the production were filmed in the Valley.
La Jara Town Trustee Sammy Montoya resigned, due to relocation.
The city of Alamosa will put new playground equipment in Boyd and Carroll parks with the help of a GOCO grant.
Monte Vista schools received a $421,000 Reading First grant from the state. The three-year grant will buy teaching materials and pay staff.
San Luis Valley Federal Bank in Alamosa broke ground for a new facility near Wal-Mart.
Alamosa’s First Baptist Church building was placed on the National Register of Historic Places.
The USDA opened a facility in Alamosa.
The Clarion Inn of the Rio Grande is constructing an indoor water park.
Cleaning and renovation continues on the old power plant in south Alamosa. The site will be redeveloped into commercial and residential space.
Alamosa Mayor Farris Bervig and his wife, Shirley, celebrate their 50th wedding anniversary this summer.
