WEEK OF DECEMBER 19, 2024
VOLUME 53 | ISSUE 28
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As Georgetown experiences a mass exodus of public employees, police operations handed over to county BY CHRIS KOEBERL CKOEBERL@COLORADOCOMMUNITYMEDIA.COM
Shane Stratton guides Sarge and Oakely from Bell S Ranch down Georgetown during the Holiday Market Dec. 7.
PHOTO BY CHRIS KOEBERL
Hundreds descend on Georgetown for annual Holiday Market Carolers, a horse-drawn wagon and holiday decorations greeted visitors and shoppers for the weekend event BY CHRIS KOEBERL CKOEBERL@COLORADOCOMMUNITYMEDIA.COM
The annual Holiday Market in Georgetown brought hundreds to stroll the downtown district filled with shops and
holiday spirit. People were parking and walking more than a mile to get to this year’s market and what some called the Hallmark-like atmosphere of Georgetown for the holidays. A big hit every year is the horse-drawn wagon from the Bell S Ranch in Hotchkiss, with owner Shane Stratton guiding Sarge and Oakely down Georgetown streets carrying smiling kids and their parents on the holiday ride. “We live for this right here, that’s the reason we have these old horses to come and see the faces of people, the kids that
CURRENTS: 6 | VOICES: 8 | LIFE: 10 | SPORTS: 13
are just dying to get on the wagon and go for a ride. It just really warms my heart,” Stratton said. The downtown shop My Lovely Company was packed with customers inside and out looking for custom organic bath and beauty products as owner Maria Hemeham worked to restock items heading out the door with customers. “It’s beautiful, it’s whimsical. I’m very happy with the way it turned out — it’s bigger than ever before,” Hemeham said, noting she co-owns the business with her
Last month, the Georgetown Board of Selectmen accepted the resignations of Town Administrator Rick Keuroglian and Town Treasurer Mary Sims, who had been in the position for 23 years. Town Clerk Jennifer Yobski quit shortly thereafter. Meanwhile, Town Police Chief Dan Trechter, hired from Kansas in September, quit after less than two weeks on the job, according to Assistant Town Administrator Kazia Hart, who has taken on roles as Interim Clerk and Interim Treasurer. With Trechter out, Georgetown was without a police force of any kind. The town signed an Intergovernmental Agreement on Dec. 10 with the Clear Creek County Commissioners and county sheriff ’s office to provide county deputies for Georgetown’s law enforcement. Keuroglian walked away with $70,000, or half of his yearly salary, and three months of town-supported health care under contractual obligations, Hart confirmed following a Colorado Open Records Act request. No departure compensation was or is to be paid to Sims, Yobski or Trechter, Hart said. SEE EXODUS, P4
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SEE HOLIDAYS, P2
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Merry Christmas!