Delta County School District has been awarded the Building Excellent Schools Today (BEST) grant for $7.1 million dollars. The district match is just over $2.3 million.
According to District Superintendent Caryn Gibson, The Colorado Department of Education required a 45% match from the school district from established Colorado Department of Education (CDE) criteria. However, the district applied for and received a waiver to reduce the match to 25%, saving the school district $1.9 million.
The BEST grant will go to replace HVAC systems in the classroom sections of Cedaredge High School, North Fork High School and Paonia K-8. It will also provide an enhanced safety entrance at Paonia K-8. Delta County School District ranked 15th out of 52 school district projects in Colorado, the BEST grant is awarded to the top 19 BEST school district projects.
CDOT announced tentative plans to open the Middle Bridge on U.S. 50 in some capacity on July 4, reports the Montrose Daily Press. Repair work will continue on the bridge with restrictions and delays. CDOT is anticipating that permanent repairs will be done before winter. The repairs are expected to keep the bridge safe and allow plans for replacement if it becomes necessary.
The bridge near the Dillon Pinnacles on the Blue Mesa Reservoir closed April 18 when a federally ordered inspection discovered cracks in the steel structure. The shutdown cut direct access between Montrose and Gunnison County. Initial detours around I-70 and US 160 required up to 7 hours or more. County crews opened the Lake City Cutoff -Gunnison County Road 26 to local traffic for piloted travel times and for vehicles less than 85,000 pounds. That cut off remains open.
In a 5-2 decision Colorado’s Supreme court ruled waivers of liability do not protect ski resorts when resorts violate state laws or regulations, reports the Denver Post. The decision came down on Monday in the case of a 16-year-old girl from Oklahoma who fell from a ski lift at Crested Butte Mountain Resort two years ago and was paralyzed.
According to experts, the ruling likely ends a years-long push by the ski industry to use waivers to shield resorts against almost all lawsuits, even in cases where ski areas violated state law. Monday’s ruling partially reversed the lower-court decision and allows the Miller family from Oklahoma to continue to pursue the negligence lawsuit against the resort.
Another top Colorado River negotiator says states are making progress in talks about the river’s future. But as KUNC’s Alex Hager reports, there’s still division on a plan to share water that supplies 40 million people across the Southwest.
In western communities, mobile home parks provide a more affordable place to live. But residents often face problems with their drinking water. In Colorado, a new law gives the state authority to test water quality at these parks and force needed fixes. For Rocky Mountain Community Radio, Aspen Public Radio’s Eleanor Bennett reports on one community in Western Colorado that helped spur the legislation.
