LOCAL NEWS: Montrose and Delta County School Boards each held swearing in ceremonies for newly elected directors at their last regular board meetings. They also held elections to decide board leadership positions. In Montrose County Neisha Balleck was elected President, Ted Valerio - Vice President. Tiffany Vincent - Board Secretary; and Tom West was elected Treasurer. In Delta County, long time board president Dan Burke was replaced by Bethany Suppes, Sheldon Kier was elected Vice Chair, Tony Bohling is Treasurer and the board unanimously appointed District Administrative Assistant Laura Esplin as assistant secretary.
Montrose City Councilors considered a potential land trade with Volunteers of America that will ultimately benefit local non-profit -Magic Circle Theater. The trade includes selling city land located off Niagara Road to Volunteers of America who will pay the difference for the land that Magic Circle Players currently leases from them.
According to information on the city’s website: Magic Circle Theater is looking to expand, however, they don’t own the land under the building. Councilors unanimously approved the land trade proposal, with a potential closing date this spring.
ENVIROMENTAL NEWS: Our next two stories focus on the two accidents that are impacting the environment in our region. Last December, a rupture on an Enterprise Products pipeline in southwestern Colorado, on tribal and county land, caused tens of thousands of gallons of refined gasoline to be spilled onto Florida Mesa. Now, the Environmental Protection Agency is getting involved in the cleanup process. For Rocky Mountain Community Radio, K-S-U-T's Clark Adomaitis has more.
Two Union Pacific Locomotives hit a boulder and derailed into the Gunnison River in the Escalante Dominguez National Conservation Area last Tuesday Night. KVNF's Brody Wilson has been investigating the environmental impact of the accident.
