WEEK OF MAY 22, 2025
VOLUME 37| ISSUE 21
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Oil well blowout in Weld exposed people to benzene BY MARK JAFFE THE COLORADO SUN
Members of the Brighton Arts Committee stand before a mural by Amy Berman at the 7 a.m. Somewhere Coffee Shop on Main Street. From left to right: Dave Rose, Wilma Rose, Dolly Garcia, Kathy Wardle, and Gary Wardle. BELEN WARD
Arts committee looks back on its accomplishments • Vestas to lay off 200 employees •27J Schools moves online-only Dec. 1
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BUSINESS LOCAL
With guide due out, group showcases its collection of public art BY BELEN WARD BWARD@COLORADOCOMMUNITYMEDIA.COM
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LOCAL OBITUARIES LEGALS CLASSIFIED
INSIDE THIS ISSUE
With a new guidebook coming that showcases all the art and sculptures around Brighton and their locations, the Brighton Public Art Committee is taking some time to reflect on where they’ve been and what they’ve accomplished. The committee was established in 2012 to enhance the community by introducing public art that beautifies the City of Brighton, said Wilma Rose, the chair of the committee since its inception. “To date, we’ve added 14 sculptures and two and a half murals, as we also contributed to
the mural at 7 a.m. Somewhere Coffee Shop,” Rose said. “Our primary goal and mission are to bring public art to the community to benefit residents and visitors. Overall, we’ve been a very active committee, with several city representatives also on the committee. Everyone who has served on it has given 100%; otherwise, we couldn’t accomplish all this.” The city disconnected from the arts committee in 2022, leaving them to reorganize independently, Rose said. “We received funding from the Scientific and Cultural Facilities District SCFD and the lodging tax until last year; funding is significant. We need matching funds for the SCFD grants, which help us add more art,” Rose said. In addition to creating the guidebook and promoting the arts, the committee has other jobs.
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“We’ve also initiated the cleaning and restoration of all the art pieces to ensure our art remains in good shape and form. We used a company from Loveland,” Wilma said. Wilma said they collaborate with the City Parks and Recreation Department and the Streets Department to assist them in placing art in designated spots. “We couldn’t have achieved this without the many individuals, whom we thank for their assistance in completing it all,” Wilma said. Wilma said the committee is currently working on bringing a sculpture called “The Well.” “It’s called ‘where we water and how we grow,’ and we call it Brighton,” Rose said. Art on loan
The committee’s sculptures are part of a loan program. The Arts Committee and Kathy
Wardle selected the artwork to showcase in the city. Wardle, an artist herself, was president of the Brighton Cultural Arts Commission for about 12 years. Wardle said Rose, then a Brighton City Councilor, discussed ways of bringing the best art to Brighton. “She volunteered to be president of the organization, which initially had a group of around 15 in 2019. We decided to form a public art committee to promote art, establish a call for submissions, and implement a judging rubric to ensure we feature excellent art in the parks and throughout the city,” Wardle said. “Every year, we have five to eight pieces of sculpture displayed in Carmichael Park. We will purchase some of those on loan pieces and display them as public art.” SEE ARTS, P6
The oil well blowout last month in rural Galeton, which sparked the evacuation of nearby homes, spewed dangerous levels of toxic chemicals as far as 2 miles away, according to preliminary tests by a Colorado State University team. Benzene, a known carcinogen and respiratory irritant, was found in concentrations 10 times above federal standard for chronic exposure, and was among dozens of chemicals detected. “People were potentially exposed to a chemical soup,” said Emily Fischer, a CSU professor of atmospheric science. The uncontrolled blowout of the Chevron Bishop well in Galeton, a community of 256 about 7 miles northeast of Greeley, began the evening of April 6, sending a white geyser of water, crude oil and gas high into the air. It was almost five days before the well was secured and sealed. The failure of wellhead equipment caused the blowout and it was not related to either drilling or fracking the well, Chevron said in its preliminary assessment. “We know the when,” said Kristen Kemp, a spokesperson for the Colorado Energy and Carbon Management Commission, which oversees oil and gas drilling. “And we know the what: an uncontrolled release of wellbore fluid due to a failed barrier. … We are still investigating the why.” Chevron, CDPHE report lower emissions levels
The ECMC is overseeing the investigation and the remediation of the site, but deferred to state air regulators on emissions. SEE BLOWOUT, P8
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