The Ouray School’s Strategic Plan
by Tim Finkbeiner, Elementary School Principal and Deputy Superintendent of Ouray SchoolsSep 23, 2008 | 30 views | 0 | 0 | | BOARD BULLETIN
The concept of strategic planning has been utilized in the corporate and business world for decades. It has only been in the last 15 years that school districts around the country have begun implementing strategic plans to improve education. The Ouray School District has formulated its first strategic plan to guide the board, administration, teachers, staff, and the community for the next five academic calendar years, through June 2013.
The overarching goal is that: By June 2013 the Ouray School will be recognized as a top 10 percent school on the CSAP test while educating the complete child.
We believe that this goal and the accompanying supporting goals are challenging but realistic and achievable. Success will require a dedicated effort by the entire district and community. As described in previous Bulletins, funds from passage of the mil levy override on this November’s ballot will be used to support important programs that would not otherwise be funded. Many of these programs will require extra funds because their normal funding will be required to support unfunded mandates by the state of Colorado that by law must be implemented.
The plan is being used to establish a common basis and direction for the school and the community to achieve our full set of goals. It is used to set budgets, establish curricula, evaluate the compatibility of potential new hires, hold the district accountable, and to communicate with the community progress towards our mission statement.
The plan was formulated using a process that involved planning teams consisting of district teachers, staff, administration, the board, and the community. This process created:
* a common vision for the future of the school;
* a mission statement to provide a concise yet comprehensive way to communicate articulation of our vision;
* goals, the end points to achieve during the planning period; and
* approximately 100 programs that we will implement to achieve the goals.
The vision and mission statement provide the framework for the plan; the goals and programs constitute the plan itself.
The plan is structured in three major areas, each of equal importance:
* excellence in education fundamentals,
* excellence in education enhancements, and
* excellence in education enablers.
For each of these main areas, the planning teams drafted top-level goals for the school and from these, developed the lower level goals necessary to achieve them. Each goal has a benchmark by which progress and success can be measured.
Once direction was established by the goal setting, the planning teams then defined the individual programs necessary to achieve the goals – how to reach success. Each program incorporates a year-by-year action plan which includes estimated costs by year and the individual responsible for the program.
Progress for each major area will be reviewed on a rotating basis by the board at monthly meetings. Adjustments will be made on an annual basis to reflect the current environment and progress, which will be used to extend the plan for an additional year.
The plan is available for viewing at the school’s website, http://ouray.k12.co.us (click on the District and then the Strategic Plan tabs), at the school office, and at the Ouray Public Library.
Written by Tim Finkbeiner and posted by Erin Eddy
Thursday, September 25, 2008
Thursday, September 11, 2008
Ouray County Communications Tower versus Ouray Real Estate
RIDGWAY – In one of the most complex issues to come before the Ouray Board of County Commissioners in recent years, an application for a special use permit to erect an 80-foot communications tower and equipment shed on Log Hill Mesa has been approved. However, the approval comes with six conditions, which could ultimately bring the entire matter back before the commissioners at a future date.
The commissioners based their decision on the requirements of the land use code, rather than bowing to pressure to sidestep various review requirements in favor of expediency of providing emergency communications.
The permit’s conditions require that the visual impact restrictions of the Ouray County Land Use Code be considered, and that the Log Hill Village Unit I architectural control committee, or ACC, must also approve the application. Another condition includes a prohibition of lights on the tower.
Commissioner Don Batchelder added a condition requiring a bond for removal of towers at the site that are not being used; he also specified that any uses other than those approved would require additional special use permits. A sixth condition requires appropriate documentation between Verizon and Ouray County on any subleasing of the tower.
The tower is expected to provide multiple services that will enhance emergency communications among state and local agencies, as well as provide better cell phone coverage for the region. Approved uses include an emergency services antenna, the Verizon antennas, which could be up to 12 units total, and a microwave antenna for the Colorado Wireless Interoperability Network.
The requirement for ACC approval could result in an appeal of the permit, since the ACC previously denied the application. Log Hill Village resident and ACC member Jim Kennedy said that the original proposal for an emergency communications structure included a 10-foot antenna, but that the addition of the cell phone component changed the picture. “What Verizon came back with was a gargantuan cell phone tower and well beyond what any of us had envisioned,” Kennedy said. “We’ll support an emergency tower, but this failed the test. Were it not for the Verizon component, this might have worked out. The covenants give us no choice but to say ‘no.’”
The commissioners’ decision was preceded by an exhaustive two-day public hearing. Over 60 citizens registered their wide-ranging views about the suitability of the tower’s location on Aug. 25, and about 30 citizens appeared on Sept. 2, when the commissioners made their final decision.
“You certainly gave us some things to think about,” Commissioner Chair Keith Meinert told those in attendance at the Aug. 25 meeting.
While no one present questioned the need for enhanced emergency communications capability, numerous people questioned whether the proposed site is the best location for such a tower.
Emergency responders from Ouray and Montrose County agreed about the need for a tower, maintaining that the Log Hill Village site is the best one. “Until we have CWIN [Colorado Wireless Interoperability Network], these two radios can’t talk to each other,” said Ouray County Emergency Coordinator Alan Staehle, referring to state’s 800 MHz system and the county’s VHS communication network.
Testimony was conclusive that cell phone traffic from 911 calls is escalating in Ouray County and neighboring communities such as Telluride and Montrose, and that gaps exist in cell phone and pager coverage on Log Hill Mesa and in other corners of the county. Ouray County Director of Public Health Cheryl Roberts told the commissioners about her recent experience involving a rescue and stabilization procedure in which she was “out of communications” for one and a half hours.
Issues were raised about the legal ownership of the proposed tower site. “It’s not a legal property that you can grant building permits on; you’re looking at a precedent you may not want,” said Montrose attorney Bob Thomas, who submitted a 61-page document to the commissioners.
Ouray County Attorney Mary Deganhart informed the commissioners on Sept. 2 that the there is “a lot of ambiguity in the covenants,” but that the parcel in question was owned by the permit’s applicant, Dallas Creek Water Company. “I apologize that it’s kind of as clear as mud,” she added.
Issues of visual impact violations, originally raised at a previous planning commission public hearing, were joined by a question as to whether microwave emissions from the tower pose a health risk to the community. “This tower will subject the entire county to microwave radiation,” said Ruth Davis, who opposes the location of the proposed tower. She tied potential DNA damage, early onset of Alzheimer’s Disease and irregular heart beats to exposure to radiation. “It produces headaches and chronic fatigue; you’ll find people who wake up and are not being able to live in their house,” she said. Davis provided documentation for her position, including material from the International Firefighters Association about the health effects of microwave emissions to firefighters.
Mark Young, president of the Montrose County Sheriff’s Posse, countered that the health effects from microwave emissions are negligible. “You’ll get more microwave energy sitting in front of your microwave. One-half of one watt. It won’t nuke you if you stand there for 100 years.”
Reggie Kajer, a resident of Log Hill who lives nearby, asked the commissioners to explore all of the options before proceeding with an approval. “Stop, set the proposal aside and go into work session with those who have technical or legal knowledge,” Kajer said.
After the two-hour hearing on Sept. 2, Commissioner Heidi Albritton at first objected to the conditions, in part because the review of visual impact regulations and other code compliance issues would extend the process, postponing a solution to the more immediate health, safety and welfare issues that would be solved by the emergency communications aspect of the project. “Our hands are tied by the code. I know where everyone is coming from. But health, safety and welfare trumps look,” Albritton said.
However, Meinert and Batchelder maintained that the board could not sidestep reviews associated with the building permit process, however circuitous it may be.
Written by Christopher Pike and posted by Erin Eddy
The commissioners based their decision on the requirements of the land use code, rather than bowing to pressure to sidestep various review requirements in favor of expediency of providing emergency communications.
The permit’s conditions require that the visual impact restrictions of the Ouray County Land Use Code be considered, and that the Log Hill Village Unit I architectural control committee, or ACC, must also approve the application. Another condition includes a prohibition of lights on the tower.
Commissioner Don Batchelder added a condition requiring a bond for removal of towers at the site that are not being used; he also specified that any uses other than those approved would require additional special use permits. A sixth condition requires appropriate documentation between Verizon and Ouray County on any subleasing of the tower.
The tower is expected to provide multiple services that will enhance emergency communications among state and local agencies, as well as provide better cell phone coverage for the region. Approved uses include an emergency services antenna, the Verizon antennas, which could be up to 12 units total, and a microwave antenna for the Colorado Wireless Interoperability Network.
The requirement for ACC approval could result in an appeal of the permit, since the ACC previously denied the application. Log Hill Village resident and ACC member Jim Kennedy said that the original proposal for an emergency communications structure included a 10-foot antenna, but that the addition of the cell phone component changed the picture. “What Verizon came back with was a gargantuan cell phone tower and well beyond what any of us had envisioned,” Kennedy said. “We’ll support an emergency tower, but this failed the test. Were it not for the Verizon component, this might have worked out. The covenants give us no choice but to say ‘no.’”
The commissioners’ decision was preceded by an exhaustive two-day public hearing. Over 60 citizens registered their wide-ranging views about the suitability of the tower’s location on Aug. 25, and about 30 citizens appeared on Sept. 2, when the commissioners made their final decision.
“You certainly gave us some things to think about,” Commissioner Chair Keith Meinert told those in attendance at the Aug. 25 meeting.
While no one present questioned the need for enhanced emergency communications capability, numerous people questioned whether the proposed site is the best location for such a tower.
Emergency responders from Ouray and Montrose County agreed about the need for a tower, maintaining that the Log Hill Village site is the best one. “Until we have CWIN [Colorado Wireless Interoperability Network], these two radios can’t talk to each other,” said Ouray County Emergency Coordinator Alan Staehle, referring to state’s 800 MHz system and the county’s VHS communication network.
Testimony was conclusive that cell phone traffic from 911 calls is escalating in Ouray County and neighboring communities such as Telluride and Montrose, and that gaps exist in cell phone and pager coverage on Log Hill Mesa and in other corners of the county. Ouray County Director of Public Health Cheryl Roberts told the commissioners about her recent experience involving a rescue and stabilization procedure in which she was “out of communications” for one and a half hours.
Issues were raised about the legal ownership of the proposed tower site. “It’s not a legal property that you can grant building permits on; you’re looking at a precedent you may not want,” said Montrose attorney Bob Thomas, who submitted a 61-page document to the commissioners.
Ouray County Attorney Mary Deganhart informed the commissioners on Sept. 2 that the there is “a lot of ambiguity in the covenants,” but that the parcel in question was owned by the permit’s applicant, Dallas Creek Water Company. “I apologize that it’s kind of as clear as mud,” she added.
Issues of visual impact violations, originally raised at a previous planning commission public hearing, were joined by a question as to whether microwave emissions from the tower pose a health risk to the community. “This tower will subject the entire county to microwave radiation,” said Ruth Davis, who opposes the location of the proposed tower. She tied potential DNA damage, early onset of Alzheimer’s Disease and irregular heart beats to exposure to radiation. “It produces headaches and chronic fatigue; you’ll find people who wake up and are not being able to live in their house,” she said. Davis provided documentation for her position, including material from the International Firefighters Association about the health effects of microwave emissions to firefighters.
Mark Young, president of the Montrose County Sheriff’s Posse, countered that the health effects from microwave emissions are negligible. “You’ll get more microwave energy sitting in front of your microwave. One-half of one watt. It won’t nuke you if you stand there for 100 years.”
Reggie Kajer, a resident of Log Hill who lives nearby, asked the commissioners to explore all of the options before proceeding with an approval. “Stop, set the proposal aside and go into work session with those who have technical or legal knowledge,” Kajer said.
After the two-hour hearing on Sept. 2, Commissioner Heidi Albritton at first objected to the conditions, in part because the review of visual impact regulations and other code compliance issues would extend the process, postponing a solution to the more immediate health, safety and welfare issues that would be solved by the emergency communications aspect of the project. “Our hands are tied by the code. I know where everyone is coming from. But health, safety and welfare trumps look,” Albritton said.
However, Meinert and Batchelder maintained that the board could not sidestep reviews associated with the building permit process, however circuitous it may be.
Written by Christopher Pike and posted by Erin Eddy
Monday, September 1, 2008
Local Economy Holding It's Own
August 22, 2008
It's turning out that, for the local economy, 2008 may be turning out to be "one of those years," reminiscent perhaps of the fire and drought-hampered down year 2002.
We just got back the first important indicators for the all-important summer season. While not disastrous, they are a bit gloomy, about what one might expect in the current climate of high gas prices and a housing crunch.
The City of Ouray just received back its sales taxes from Denver, those collected in June when tourism time was kicking in. The tax number was $81,500, down about 7% from the same period in 2007, though nearly identical to the June 2006 collections.
For the first eight months of 2008, overall sales tax collections remain down by about 1.5%, an amount that translates to a measly $7,500 downturn in tax receipts to the city.
The hotel numbers echoed the sales tax, down from 2007 (52% occupancy rate vs. 54%), and on par with 2006. (And with an extra buck on the lodging tax, those receipts are running almost 40% over last year).
Likewise, admissions to the Hot Springs Pool were off 6%, but in line with 2006.
Glass half-full-type people might say that in the current economy, Ouray seems to be holding its own, that single-digit declines are tolerable.
They might purport that we're still attracting about the same number of tourists, but casual observation indicates that the $4 gasoline means they're coming from closer places, such as Grand Junction and the Front Range. Presumably, many people are choosing to vacation here instead of the big trips to Europe or Disney World.
But the pessimists might look at the June numbers and wonder if we're just waiting for the other shoe to fall. Could the current slow-down just be the tip of an iceberg of serious financial difficulties?
Economic crystal balls are notoriously opaque, so we'll just have to see how it plays out.
Regardless of how the monthly tourism-driven numbers continue to roll in, Ouray enjoyed a jolt of news this week that relates to its economy. And it can only be considered positive.
That, of course, is the purchase of the relatively new water bottling facility that never got over the hump for its originally intended purpose, when 80 or so jobs were first promised.
Now, after years of the seeing the plant/warehouse facility wallow in a morass of legal and financial condition, it is owned free and clear by two local young and energetic entrepreneurs, Ben Lockard and Eli Doose.
With the water bottling equipment headed to Arkansas, that business plan has been thankfully put to rest. Instead, Lockard and Doose intend to use the facility to help create "a new economy" for Ouray, one where small enterprises manufacture specialty products.
We'll eagerly watch to see how this mixed-use light industry develops under the guidance of Lockard and Doose's High Country Development Group.
So for now, while the local economy's not great, this fiscal sky is definitely not falling. And on the horizon, we see some great promise to finally realize the potential of the big facility in north Ouray.
— David Mullings
It's turning out that, for the local economy, 2008 may be turning out to be "one of those years," reminiscent perhaps of the fire and drought-hampered down year 2002.
We just got back the first important indicators for the all-important summer season. While not disastrous, they are a bit gloomy, about what one might expect in the current climate of high gas prices and a housing crunch.
The City of Ouray just received back its sales taxes from Denver, those collected in June when tourism time was kicking in. The tax number was $81,500, down about 7% from the same period in 2007, though nearly identical to the June 2006 collections.
For the first eight months of 2008, overall sales tax collections remain down by about 1.5%, an amount that translates to a measly $7,500 downturn in tax receipts to the city.
The hotel numbers echoed the sales tax, down from 2007 (52% occupancy rate vs. 54%), and on par with 2006. (And with an extra buck on the lodging tax, those receipts are running almost 40% over last year).
Likewise, admissions to the Hot Springs Pool were off 6%, but in line with 2006.
Glass half-full-type people might say that in the current economy, Ouray seems to be holding its own, that single-digit declines are tolerable.
They might purport that we're still attracting about the same number of tourists, but casual observation indicates that the $4 gasoline means they're coming from closer places, such as Grand Junction and the Front Range. Presumably, many people are choosing to vacation here instead of the big trips to Europe or Disney World.
But the pessimists might look at the June numbers and wonder if we're just waiting for the other shoe to fall. Could the current slow-down just be the tip of an iceberg of serious financial difficulties?
Economic crystal balls are notoriously opaque, so we'll just have to see how it plays out.
Regardless of how the monthly tourism-driven numbers continue to roll in, Ouray enjoyed a jolt of news this week that relates to its economy. And it can only be considered positive.
That, of course, is the purchase of the relatively new water bottling facility that never got over the hump for its originally intended purpose, when 80 or so jobs were first promised.
Now, after years of the seeing the plant/warehouse facility wallow in a morass of legal and financial condition, it is owned free and clear by two local young and energetic entrepreneurs, Ben Lockard and Eli Doose.
With the water bottling equipment headed to Arkansas, that business plan has been thankfully put to rest. Instead, Lockard and Doose intend to use the facility to help create "a new economy" for Ouray, one where small enterprises manufacture specialty products.
We'll eagerly watch to see how this mixed-use light industry develops under the guidance of Lockard and Doose's High Country Development Group.
So for now, while the local economy's not great, this fiscal sky is definitely not falling. And on the horizon, we see some great promise to finally realize the potential of the big facility in north Ouray.
— David Mullings
Saturday, July 26, 2008
Bottling Plant and Real Estate Sell
OURAY – The next chapter has begun for the beleaguered BIOTA water bottling plant in north Ouray. The property, which includes the land, plant and equipment, was auctioned to Mountain Pure Water, of Bee Branch, Ark., on Thursday, July 17, for a price tag of $2.35 million. John B. Stacks, a senior officer of the corporation, participated in the bidding. No statement was available from Stacks as to future plans for the plant.
The auction company, GoIndustry/DoveBid, described the package in a brochure as a blow molding and water bottling facility with real estate comprising 3.02 acres of land, a 21,500-square-foot light industrial building and an attached 15,000-square-foot warehouse, as well as assorted bottling equipment.
The seller was United Postal Service Capital Business Credit, of Lubbock, Texas, former creditor to BIOTA. UPS bought the company for $3 million at a foreclosure sale in August 2007, and then auctioned the land, plant and equipment to Black Gold Organic Fertilizer, Inc. in October 2007 for the price of $3.8 million.
Shortly after the October 2007 auction, a legal dispute erupted over ownership of the intellectual property rights involving the brand name BIOTA, an acronym for “Blame It On The Altitude.” Black Gold filed a lawsuit against UPS for the rights, which they claimed were included in the package. The purchase agreement between Black Gold and UPS fell through following a U.S. District Court dismissal of the lawsuit in May 2008.
Immediately following the dismissal, Ouray County Treasurer Jeanne Casolari reported that her office received more than $328,500 from UPS on current and delinquent taxes due for personal property and real estate property at BIOTA.
The plant was constructed in 2003 and went into production in 2004 through a contract with the city for water from the underground Weehawken Spring, but discontinued bottling operations in early 2007.
The auction company, GoIndustry/DoveBid, described the package in a brochure as a blow molding and water bottling facility with real estate comprising 3.02 acres of land, a 21,500-square-foot light industrial building and an attached 15,000-square-foot warehouse, as well as assorted bottling equipment.
The seller was United Postal Service Capital Business Credit, of Lubbock, Texas, former creditor to BIOTA. UPS bought the company for $3 million at a foreclosure sale in August 2007, and then auctioned the land, plant and equipment to Black Gold Organic Fertilizer, Inc. in October 2007 for the price of $3.8 million.
Shortly after the October 2007 auction, a legal dispute erupted over ownership of the intellectual property rights involving the brand name BIOTA, an acronym for “Blame It On The Altitude.” Black Gold filed a lawsuit against UPS for the rights, which they claimed were included in the package. The purchase agreement between Black Gold and UPS fell through following a U.S. District Court dismissal of the lawsuit in May 2008.
Immediately following the dismissal, Ouray County Treasurer Jeanne Casolari reported that her office received more than $328,500 from UPS on current and delinquent taxes due for personal property and real estate property at BIOTA.
The plant was constructed in 2003 and went into production in 2004 through a contract with the city for water from the underground Weehawken Spring, but discontinued bottling operations in early 2007.
Sunday, June 8, 2008
Ridgway Schools Focused on the Future
RIDGWAY – Preparing students for the complexities of the 21st century’s increasingly competitive marketplace was the theme at the Ridgway School Board’s Tuesday, May 27 meeting. As Board President Kara Mueller explained it, the board’s main goal is to discern “what is the mission of our school district as we prepare our students for the 21st century” – a world, she observed, that’s obviously “different from 20, 30 or 50 years ago.”
In an effort to come up with a mission statement that will inspire students, faculty and the community at large to focus on the future, the board spent more than half-an-hour telephone conferencing with Colorado Association of School Boards advisor Vera Dawson about how to involve the public in the process.
“You don’t want to confuse them,” Dawson cautioned the board, regarding public involvement in coming up with a compelling statement, “or cause them to burn out.” Describing the current mission statement as more “slogan” than mission statement, Dawson emphasized the need to come up with a public process that “won’t bore people to death.”
“It’s always a challenge to get people there,” Mueller told Dawson, “and then, once they are there, to get them to feel they are part of the necessary process,” feeling “useful and heard in the process” and “making it worthwhile for them.”
“We are a small mountain community,” emphasized former Board President Howard Butcher, a lifelong Ridgway area resident, who is moving his family to California later this summer, “and it’s kind of isolated.
“Sometimes I feel a certain amount of complacency” on the part of students and parents, Butcher continued, as well as a lack of awareness that students will eventually compete in the workplace with, say, “Korean students who are studying 15 hours a day” right now to increase their eligibility in the job market.
Butcher, who had begun the meeting by declaring that his recent tour of schools in California – of a range of public, charter and private schools – left him impressed by “the talent and capable teaching here and how there is so much going right, going well here, at our schools,” he went on to emphasize that the district’s mission statement – which it is hoped will be completed by the start of the next school year, will “reflect the reality that we’re very serious about this world” today’s students must prepare themselves for.
The board hopes to have a perfect-pitch mission statement in place for the 2008-09 school year.
Budget ‘Looks in Line’
Comparing the end-of-the-school-year wait to balance the books to “a tidal wave,” with “three-quarters of the revenue coming crashing in” now that the school year has ended, Superintendent Douglas Bissonette voiced confidence that, with $500,000 outstanding, “everything still looks in line; now, it’s a matter of waiting” for revenues mostly from property taxes.
Bingo!
“We want to do more than just a turkey dinner and a carnival” on the fund-raising front, Mueller told the board, and to that end, the board is considering bingo gatherings – as a fundraiser as well as “a vehicle for creating community.”
Greenhouse Studies
District resident Heidi Comstock, who has a greenhouse in her home at Log Hill, and has developed greenhouse-curriculum in the past, has offered to work with the district on a greenhouse program for the schools.
A Cool Mission
The Ridgway High School graduating class earned $1,360,700 in committed scholarship money this academic year; the total committed moneys from colleges accepted by students, to date, is $598,120; and 19 students with college offers have accepted.
Staff Comings and Goings
The board voted unanimously to approve recommendations to hire Emma Brockman as secondary principal; Maggie Guscott (high school math teacher); Anne Hilleman (secondary special ed; Mary Ownes (11/12 English teacher); Mary Haskins (6-8 English teacher); Tim Lyons (technology teacher); Nancy Randall (middle school Spanish teacher); Ryan Wilson (high school social studies teacher) and Jessica Kimball (secondary school PE teacher); Robyn Cascade (third grade teacher); Kelly Charrier (elementary Spanish teacher) and Rebecca Hazen (pre-school teacher.” The board accepted resignations from Kelly Hagemeyer (paraprofessional); Beth Costa (librarian); Charlie Jones (athletic director); and Gina Rogers (English teacher).
In an effort to come up with a mission statement that will inspire students, faculty and the community at large to focus on the future, the board spent more than half-an-hour telephone conferencing with Colorado Association of School Boards advisor Vera Dawson about how to involve the public in the process.
“You don’t want to confuse them,” Dawson cautioned the board, regarding public involvement in coming up with a compelling statement, “or cause them to burn out.” Describing the current mission statement as more “slogan” than mission statement, Dawson emphasized the need to come up with a public process that “won’t bore people to death.”
“It’s always a challenge to get people there,” Mueller told Dawson, “and then, once they are there, to get them to feel they are part of the necessary process,” feeling “useful and heard in the process” and “making it worthwhile for them.”
“We are a small mountain community,” emphasized former Board President Howard Butcher, a lifelong Ridgway area resident, who is moving his family to California later this summer, “and it’s kind of isolated.
“Sometimes I feel a certain amount of complacency” on the part of students and parents, Butcher continued, as well as a lack of awareness that students will eventually compete in the workplace with, say, “Korean students who are studying 15 hours a day” right now to increase their eligibility in the job market.
Butcher, who had begun the meeting by declaring that his recent tour of schools in California – of a range of public, charter and private schools – left him impressed by “the talent and capable teaching here and how there is so much going right, going well here, at our schools,” he went on to emphasize that the district’s mission statement – which it is hoped will be completed by the start of the next school year, will “reflect the reality that we’re very serious about this world” today’s students must prepare themselves for.
The board hopes to have a perfect-pitch mission statement in place for the 2008-09 school year.
Budget ‘Looks in Line’
Comparing the end-of-the-school-year wait to balance the books to “a tidal wave,” with “three-quarters of the revenue coming crashing in” now that the school year has ended, Superintendent Douglas Bissonette voiced confidence that, with $500,000 outstanding, “everything still looks in line; now, it’s a matter of waiting” for revenues mostly from property taxes.
Bingo!
“We want to do more than just a turkey dinner and a carnival” on the fund-raising front, Mueller told the board, and to that end, the board is considering bingo gatherings – as a fundraiser as well as “a vehicle for creating community.”
Greenhouse Studies
District resident Heidi Comstock, who has a greenhouse in her home at Log Hill, and has developed greenhouse-curriculum in the past, has offered to work with the district on a greenhouse program for the schools.
A Cool Mission
The Ridgway High School graduating class earned $1,360,700 in committed scholarship money this academic year; the total committed moneys from colleges accepted by students, to date, is $598,120; and 19 students with college offers have accepted.
Staff Comings and Goings
The board voted unanimously to approve recommendations to hire Emma Brockman as secondary principal; Maggie Guscott (high school math teacher); Anne Hilleman (secondary special ed; Mary Ownes (11/12 English teacher); Mary Haskins (6-8 English teacher); Tim Lyons (technology teacher); Nancy Randall (middle school Spanish teacher); Ryan Wilson (high school social studies teacher) and Jessica Kimball (secondary school PE teacher); Robyn Cascade (third grade teacher); Kelly Charrier (elementary Spanish teacher) and Rebecca Hazen (pre-school teacher.” The board accepted resignations from Kelly Hagemeyer (paraprofessional); Beth Costa (librarian); Charlie Jones (athletic director); and Gina Rogers (English teacher).
Wednesday, April 23, 2008
Affordable Housing in Ouray?
Affordable Housing on the Wane in Ouray County
by Kate Kellogg1 day 11 hrs ago | 83 views | 0 | 0 | | RIDGWAY – A new analysis of Ouray County’s housing needs, packed with facts and figures, provides the hard evidence of a growing dearth of affordable housing in Ouray County.
Consultants from Denver and San Miguel County presented their Ouray County Housing Needs Assessment to the public on Wednesday, April 16 at the Ridgway Community Center. In view of trends in wages and home prices, the assessment predicts that by 2015, 30 percent of new employee households in the county will need some form of affordable housing.
Nearly half of the 650 Ouray County households who responded to a survey on housing needs ranked affordable housing as one of the most serious problems facing the county.
The assessment was commissioned by the newly formed county-wide Affordable Housing Authority, an independent entity created to help locate, finance, build, and administer affordable housing in Ouray County. The authority is comprised of representatives from the county, City of Ouray and Town of Ridgway. Funded by a grant from the Colorado Department of Local Affairs, the housing needs assessment is the work of two consulting firms: the San Miguel County-based Affordable Housing Solutions and the Denver office of Economic & Planning Systems, Inc.
“One purpose of the assessment was to find out what residents want and need and to target appropriate housing prices,” said Affordable Housing Solutions’ Dawn Ibis.
The report highlights the growing disparity between income and housing prices. While real wages earned in the county have increased by 2.1 percent annually since 2000 (exceeding the rate of increase for the state), the increase in median value of Ouray County homes has risen 11.6 annually since 2003. The median price of a single-family home in Ouray County in 2006 was $395,000 and in 2007, $431,500. The average sale price for a condo or townhouse was $310,000 in 2007.
In 2006, the county’s area median income was $51,250 for a 2.5-person household. Not surprisingly, 26 percent of all renters and 33 percent of homeowners in the county are what the report calls “cost burdened,” meaning they spend over 30 percent of their incomes on housing. Moreover, 40 percent of all county households meet the Department of Housing and Urban Development’s definition of low income, as they earn 80 percent or less of the county’s median income.
Andy Knudtsen, of Economic & Planning Systems, attempted to “put a human face” on such affordability measures. He cited the report’s example of a household comprised of a teacher earning the average 2006 wage of $25,832 and a retail trade worker earning the 2006 average wage of $20,088. Combining their incomes, an affordable house would be priced at $157,400, far below the average available market unit from 2006.
That hypothetical household is earning about 90 percent of the area median income. Those 40 percent of the county’s population who earn 80 percent of the median could only afford a $140,000 home or a $1,000 per month rental unit.
One group that is apparently finding adequate housing is second home owners. While total housing units in Ouray County increased by an average of 112 per year from 2000-2006, the number of resident households increased by about 42 per year. Thus, 70 new housing units per year were either vacant or occupied by part-time residents.
A survey of employers in the county found that about 33 percent of Ouray workers and 75 percent of employees who work in Ridgway commute from other locations, both within and outside Ouray County. The 21 employers who responded attributed a number of employee losses to housing problems. About 25 percent of the employer respondents offer some form of housing assistance to their employees.
To prevent further shrinkage of the employee pool, essential workers should receive priority ranking as candidates for affordable housing, the study recommends. “Teachers, tellers and cops” broadly describes the cross-section of key service providers who may not be able to find affordable housing in the county, noted Knudtsen.
According to the study, the county’s current housing deficit is 165 units, a figure derived by adding the number of unfilled jobs countywide to half of the county’s in-commuters (assuming some employees commute for reasons other than housing costs). Based on employment projections, that deficit could grow to 881 by 2015.
A review of master-planned development projects highlighted the six affordable units planned for the Silvershield development in Ouray and 10 affordably priced units in Ridgway’s Parkside and Preserve developments. According to the assessment, none of the prices for any of these units will be below $220,000, or affordable for households earning less than 100 percent of the median income.
“All of these projects were initiated by developers,” said Ibis. “To achieve lower costs, such projects must be subsidized with state or federal grants.” She said the new affordable housing authority may eventually identify funding sources that will help fill the gaps.
The housing study recommends that Ridgway create a standard zoning requirement that developers set aside a portion of new units as affordable housing. Accordingly, the town should provide incentives to developers such as permit fee waivers, tap fee deferrals and density increases. It suggests that the city of Ouray could capitalize on its tourism economy by designating a fraction of sales or accommodations tax for affordable housing. Ibis noted that Telluride reserves .5 percent of its sales tax for that purpose. Since developable land in Ouray is limited, the city might provide incentives to include affordable housing in redevelopment sites.
Recognizing that the county and municipalities are protective of environmentally sensitive areas, the assessment recommends targeting areas of lesser growth, such as the Colona area, for affordable housing. The county might also use this approach for lands that immediately abut Ridgway and Ouray.
David Schwartz of Economic Planning & Systems commended the countywide attempts to address the area’s critical housing needs. “It’s great to see this collective community effort,” he said. “The challenge is to develop clear and consistent standards and generate public support for administration of future programs.”
by Kate Kellogg1 day 11 hrs ago | 83 views | 0 | 0 | | RIDGWAY – A new analysis of Ouray County’s housing needs, packed with facts and figures, provides the hard evidence of a growing dearth of affordable housing in Ouray County.
Consultants from Denver and San Miguel County presented their Ouray County Housing Needs Assessment to the public on Wednesday, April 16 at the Ridgway Community Center. In view of trends in wages and home prices, the assessment predicts that by 2015, 30 percent of new employee households in the county will need some form of affordable housing.
Nearly half of the 650 Ouray County households who responded to a survey on housing needs ranked affordable housing as one of the most serious problems facing the county.
The assessment was commissioned by the newly formed county-wide Affordable Housing Authority, an independent entity created to help locate, finance, build, and administer affordable housing in Ouray County. The authority is comprised of representatives from the county, City of Ouray and Town of Ridgway. Funded by a grant from the Colorado Department of Local Affairs, the housing needs assessment is the work of two consulting firms: the San Miguel County-based Affordable Housing Solutions and the Denver office of Economic & Planning Systems, Inc.
“One purpose of the assessment was to find out what residents want and need and to target appropriate housing prices,” said Affordable Housing Solutions’ Dawn Ibis.
The report highlights the growing disparity between income and housing prices. While real wages earned in the county have increased by 2.1 percent annually since 2000 (exceeding the rate of increase for the state), the increase in median value of Ouray County homes has risen 11.6 annually since 2003. The median price of a single-family home in Ouray County in 2006 was $395,000 and in 2007, $431,500. The average sale price for a condo or townhouse was $310,000 in 2007.
In 2006, the county’s area median income was $51,250 for a 2.5-person household. Not surprisingly, 26 percent of all renters and 33 percent of homeowners in the county are what the report calls “cost burdened,” meaning they spend over 30 percent of their incomes on housing. Moreover, 40 percent of all county households meet the Department of Housing and Urban Development’s definition of low income, as they earn 80 percent or less of the county’s median income.
Andy Knudtsen, of Economic & Planning Systems, attempted to “put a human face” on such affordability measures. He cited the report’s example of a household comprised of a teacher earning the average 2006 wage of $25,832 and a retail trade worker earning the 2006 average wage of $20,088. Combining their incomes, an affordable house would be priced at $157,400, far below the average available market unit from 2006.
That hypothetical household is earning about 90 percent of the area median income. Those 40 percent of the county’s population who earn 80 percent of the median could only afford a $140,000 home or a $1,000 per month rental unit.
One group that is apparently finding adequate housing is second home owners. While total housing units in Ouray County increased by an average of 112 per year from 2000-2006, the number of resident households increased by about 42 per year. Thus, 70 new housing units per year were either vacant or occupied by part-time residents.
A survey of employers in the county found that about 33 percent of Ouray workers and 75 percent of employees who work in Ridgway commute from other locations, both within and outside Ouray County. The 21 employers who responded attributed a number of employee losses to housing problems. About 25 percent of the employer respondents offer some form of housing assistance to their employees.
To prevent further shrinkage of the employee pool, essential workers should receive priority ranking as candidates for affordable housing, the study recommends. “Teachers, tellers and cops” broadly describes the cross-section of key service providers who may not be able to find affordable housing in the county, noted Knudtsen.
According to the study, the county’s current housing deficit is 165 units, a figure derived by adding the number of unfilled jobs countywide to half of the county’s in-commuters (assuming some employees commute for reasons other than housing costs). Based on employment projections, that deficit could grow to 881 by 2015.
A review of master-planned development projects highlighted the six affordable units planned for the Silvershield development in Ouray and 10 affordably priced units in Ridgway’s Parkside and Preserve developments. According to the assessment, none of the prices for any of these units will be below $220,000, or affordable for households earning less than 100 percent of the median income.
“All of these projects were initiated by developers,” said Ibis. “To achieve lower costs, such projects must be subsidized with state or federal grants.” She said the new affordable housing authority may eventually identify funding sources that will help fill the gaps.
The housing study recommends that Ridgway create a standard zoning requirement that developers set aside a portion of new units as affordable housing. Accordingly, the town should provide incentives to developers such as permit fee waivers, tap fee deferrals and density increases. It suggests that the city of Ouray could capitalize on its tourism economy by designating a fraction of sales or accommodations tax for affordable housing. Ibis noted that Telluride reserves .5 percent of its sales tax for that purpose. Since developable land in Ouray is limited, the city might provide incentives to include affordable housing in redevelopment sites.
Recognizing that the county and municipalities are protective of environmentally sensitive areas, the assessment recommends targeting areas of lesser growth, such as the Colona area, for affordable housing. The county might also use this approach for lands that immediately abut Ridgway and Ouray.
David Schwartz of Economic Planning & Systems commended the countywide attempts to address the area’s critical housing needs. “It’s great to see this collective community effort,” he said. “The challenge is to develop clear and consistent standards and generate public support for administration of future programs.”
Tuesday, April 8, 2008
Imogene Pass Run News Flash
Road Closures Sought for Next Imogene Pass Run
by Christopher Pike23 hrs ago
OURAY – Long-distance runners on the 17-mile Imogene Pass Run from Ouray to Telluride have experienced increasing conflicts with recreational motor vehicle users while participating in the race according to Rick Trujillo, a founding organizer of the annual event.
At a meeting on Monday, March 31, Trujillo told the Ouray County Commissioners that a greater degree of supervised temporary closure of the roads is now necessary.
Trujillo, president of Imogene Pass Run, Inc., explained that the emergence in recent years of more recreational and off-highway vehicles on the mountainous route during the race is interfering with the runners and threatening their personal safety. In particular, good weather in 2007 led to higher numbers of drivers on the route than in previous years, Trujillo said.
Motorized traffic enters the road from both the Telluride and Ouray sides, and voluntary measures that local businesses have undertaken in the past to control motorized traffic on an informal basis are no longer effective. Previously, Trujillo said, owners of jeep rental businesses, motels and other businesses advised their customers of the temporarily runner-congested roads during the race, and visitors voluntarily limited their use of the road. “But last year…there were lots of irate runners,” Trujillo said.
Trujillo asked the commissioners to provide at least two deputy sheriff personnel, posted signs and more pre-race publicity and notices so that the public will be made aware of the scheduled closures of Camp Bird Road (County Road 361) and Imogene Pass Road (Forest Service Road 869) to all but non-resident and race-related vehicle traffic during this season’s Imogene Pass Run, which this year will be held Sept. 6.
The county commissioners offered to do what they can, including coordinating the effort with the San Miguel County Sheriff’s office. A meeting will be scheduled with Ouray County Emergency Medical Services Chief Medic Norm Rooker and Sheriff Dominic Mattivi, as well as the Mountain Rescue Team to plan a temporary closure.
The Imogene Pass Run has grown in size from six participants in 1974 to over 1,250 runners and walkers from all over the country, according to Trujillo.
by Christopher Pike23 hrs ago
OURAY – Long-distance runners on the 17-mile Imogene Pass Run from Ouray to Telluride have experienced increasing conflicts with recreational motor vehicle users while participating in the race according to Rick Trujillo, a founding organizer of the annual event.
At a meeting on Monday, March 31, Trujillo told the Ouray County Commissioners that a greater degree of supervised temporary closure of the roads is now necessary.
Trujillo, president of Imogene Pass Run, Inc., explained that the emergence in recent years of more recreational and off-highway vehicles on the mountainous route during the race is interfering with the runners and threatening their personal safety. In particular, good weather in 2007 led to higher numbers of drivers on the route than in previous years, Trujillo said.
Motorized traffic enters the road from both the Telluride and Ouray sides, and voluntary measures that local businesses have undertaken in the past to control motorized traffic on an informal basis are no longer effective. Previously, Trujillo said, owners of jeep rental businesses, motels and other businesses advised their customers of the temporarily runner-congested roads during the race, and visitors voluntarily limited their use of the road. “But last year…there were lots of irate runners,” Trujillo said.
Trujillo asked the commissioners to provide at least two deputy sheriff personnel, posted signs and more pre-race publicity and notices so that the public will be made aware of the scheduled closures of Camp Bird Road (County Road 361) and Imogene Pass Road (Forest Service Road 869) to all but non-resident and race-related vehicle traffic during this season’s Imogene Pass Run, which this year will be held Sept. 6.
The county commissioners offered to do what they can, including coordinating the effort with the San Miguel County Sheriff’s office. A meeting will be scheduled with Ouray County Emergency Medical Services Chief Medic Norm Rooker and Sheriff Dominic Mattivi, as well as the Mountain Rescue Team to plan a temporary closure.
The Imogene Pass Run has grown in size from six participants in 1974 to over 1,250 runners and walkers from all over the country, according to Trujillo.
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