Courier View Pikes Peak
PIKES PEAK 3/13/13
Teller County, Colorado • Volume 52, Issue 11
March 13, 2013
75 cents
A Colorado Community Media Publication
ourtellercountynews.com
Divide jazzed up with UTV By Pat Hill
phill@ourcoloradonews.com It’s bright, it’s shiny and catapults the Divide Fire Protection District into the realm of ultimate outdoor rescuers. It’s the UTV, the Utility Terrain Vehicle. Jim Lee, firefighter, emergency medical technician and station manager, is justifiably proud of the $20,000 vehicle funded by grants from El Pomar Foundation as well as the emergency services divisions at the state and county levels. “The UTV can go similar places as the ATV but offers a greater degree of patient care,” Lee said. Parked in the department’s station, the UTV is ready for service in the spring when accidents happen more frequently in the backcountry. Equipped with a “bed” for the patient and a “slider” seat for the medical attendant, the vehicle offers efficiency of care on the way to the hospital. “The attendant can move up and down and remain secure,” Lee said. With anywhere from 40 to 50 volunteers, the fire department, whose chief is Tom O’Connor, thrives on the generosity of the residents. “I think the quality of our training helps us attract and retain volunteers,” Lee said. “While some want to build their resumes, they all have a desire to help the community. I volunteer because I live here.” Whatever the reason, the number of volunteers in rural Divide is critical. “There are only so many people who work in Teller County,” Lee said.
Jim Lee, firefighter, emergency medical technician and station manager, for the Divide Fire Protection District, shows the ins and outs of the department’s new utility terrain vehicle. Photo by Pat Hill
Mayor Worthey’s woes continue By Pat Hill
phill@ourcoloradonews.com In another broad swipe at Green Mountain Falls’ Mayor Lorrie Worthey, the board of trustees voted to appoint mayor pro tem Jane Newberry as the public information officer for all media requests dealing with the planning phase of the new town hall. Trustee Mac Pitrone proposed the mo-
tion which passed by a 5-2 vote, with the mayor and trustee Tyler Stevens opposed. Pitrone’s motion at the meeting March 5 stems from an article in the Gazette about the new town hall in which Worthey was the source. According to town clerk Chris Frandina, the article contained incorrect information. As the new PIO, Newberry is also the manager of grants for the town-hall project
while trustees Pitrone and Ralph LoCascio were named managers of construction and engineering, respectively. Worthey’s public woes escalated at the board meeting Feb. 19 when the trustees voted to remove the mayor as the liaison to the marshal’s office and approved the appointment of trustee Howard Price to take her place. Again, Worthey and Stevens opposed the motion. While Price has been publicly vocal about the number of speeding tickets issued by Police Chief Tim Bradley (aka the marshal) and his deputies, as the new liaison, he’s given up a little ground. “The board can’t tell the marshal to blow off tickets because we have told him specifically what to do (about speeders),” Price said. “We can say `use reasonable discretion.’ We have become known as the `ticket capital of Colorado.’” In a clear-the-air meeting with Bradley that included Newberry, Price questioned the number of the department’s agency assists in other jurisdictions. However, Bradley justified the assists as necessary to
provide law-enforcement backup for police stops in Ute Pass. “I still don’t like it, think we should spend more time in town,” Price said. Blazing a new trail with the marshal’s office, Price has requested information within 24 hours on issues such as hires, fires and suspensions within the marshal’s department. As the liaison, Price reported that he expects to know when an officer is involved in a fight, pulls a weapon or is threatened, “Or any purchase above $1,000 I want to know about it; or if there are any problems in the operation,” he said. No longer a vocal critic of the marshal’s department, Price has apparently initiated a sense of cohesion and cooperation. “I think we’re going to have a strong relationship between the marshal’s office and this board,” Price said. “The board wanted answers to questions and I think we’re getting them.” For his part, Bradley seemed pleased. “Thank you,” he said.
Chris Briggs-Hale, principal of Ute Pass Elementary School, shows off the newspaper articles written by the students about what Town Hall meant to the residents. The Hall was destroyed by an arson fire in February 2012. The students’ works were published last year in the Pikes Peak Courier View newspaper. Briggs-Hale appeared at the town board meeting March 5. Photo by Pat Hill POSTAL ADDRESS
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Green Mountain Falls / Chipita Park Fire Department took delivery recently of a new Brush truck 840 truck. It will be parked at Station One in Green Mountain Falls; Brush truck 841 will respond from Station Two in Chipita Park. Photo by Rob Carrigan