Leadville, Colorado

June 30, 2005 Edition• Front Page •

Tent city

Photo by Ann E. Wibbenmeyer

A colorful array of tents fills the high school football field Sunday night as bicyclers set up camp for the first night of the Bicycle Tour of Colorado.

What’s a pregnant woman to do?by Ann E. WibbenmeyerHerald Staff Writer

The board of directors at St. Vincent Hospital voted to suspend obstetric care at the June 23 regular meeting.Although no time frame was set at that time, the Herald Democrat learned on Monday that the suspension has been set for the end of July. This will allow the issue to be put on the July 28 agenda for public discussion. [more]

City, county dispute centers on fire departmentThe county commissioners have issues with Leadville-Lake County Fire Rescue.

Commission Chair Ken Olsen is not seeing adequate service for the 70 percent the county pays for the fire department. [more]

County: ‘What do we get out of it?’“ What does Lake County get out of it?” was the question asked by the commissioners at the regular meeting Monday night.Two items of discussion were the land swap between Aurora and the U.S. Forest Service, and the Bureau of Reclamation’s offer to purchase land from Aurora to be added to the Arkansas Headwaters Recreation Area.[more]

For more news, - click on the"Front Page" link - here, or on the left sidebar above...

Front Page | Subscribe | Visitor's Guide | Classifieds | PeaksNewsNet

The Web Site contains material which is protected by international Copyright and trademark laws. No material may be copied, reproduced, republished, broadcast or distributed in any way or decompiled, except that you may download one copy of the Materials on any single computer for

your personal, non-commercial home use only, provided you keep intact all copyright and other proprietary notices.On-line publication, Copyright 2005, The Herald Democrat.

Web page design, Copyright 2005, Arkansas Valley Publishing.Please report all site viewing problems to our WebMaster

This site is updated weekly

June 30, 2005 Edition

More Top Stories

What’s a pregnant woman to do?by Ann E. WibbenmeyerHerald Staff Writer

The board of directors at St. Vincent Hospital voted to suspend obstetric care at the June 23 regular meeting.Although no time frame was set at that time, the Herald Democrat learned on Monday that the suspension has been set for the end of July. This will allow the issue to be put on the July 28 agenda for public discussion.Three board members voted in favor of the motion, with Dr. Wayne Callen abstaining. Molly Barnes was not present at the meeting to vote.Dr. Lisa Zwerdlinger, who is the only practicing OB doctor at the hospital, was not informed of the discussion or present at the meeting.“ Totally floored,” was her reaction to the decision.“ The board was not supposed to talk about that at the meeting,” she said.“ I do a lot of OB here. It is a big part of my practice,” she said. If there is no OB here, it would be a travesty, she added.“ There are downsides with closing, and there are downsides to keeping it open,” said Howard Andersen, interim CEO for the hospital.Andersen stated that taking OB over the hill runs the risk of losing both baby and mother as future patients at the hospital.Last year, the hospital was staffed with four OB doctors: Dr. Christopher Wenner, Dr. John Perna, Zwerdlinger and Callen. Wenner left last year, Callen has not been practicing OB since last year and Perna is now practicing in Denver, said Anderson.This left Zwerdlinger practicing OB. She has been on call all week, every week and she did not want to be on call during the weekends.To cover all the OB shifts, the board voted to hire locum

tenens services, which are temporary doctors that cover the weekend shifts.The expense of these services included lodging for the doctors, company fees, the doctors’ fees and the doctors’ professional liability insurance.“ There was no weekend that was inexpensive,” said Andersen. The hospital spent $3,000 to $6,000 each weekend.Along with OB doctors and nurses needing to be on call, the operating room (OR) staff has to be on call as well in case of an emergency cesarean section.Members of the OR crew have been on call 24 hours a day, seven days of the week for months, according to Andersen. They were not able to leave Leadville in that time.Burnout was becoming an issue with these critical employees, and the hospital was risking losing them, said Andersen.When temporary help could not be found, the hospital would go on divert, transporting patients somewhere else when there was no doctor available here, said Andersen.An agreement was made with health care providers in Frisco; however, administrative issues arose with the transports.Dr. Warren Reese, chief of staff at the hospital, was becoming increasingly alarmed at the hospital’s ability to provide the standard of care it professes and asked the board to convene in executive session on this subject, according to Andersen.The hospital does not want any weeks or weekends when patients are not assured the highest quality of care, said Andersen.Earlier in the meeting, before the executive session, Andersen said the goal was to eliminate divert days altogether, and an effort was being made to recruit family doctors with OB credentials as well as OB nurses.Joan Fretz told the board at the meeting that two OB nurses were in the process of signing contracts.The decision to suspend OB treatment is meant to be temporary, Andersen said this week.Callen hopes to be able to practice OB again, but when this could happen is not defined, said Andersen.Currently Callen is only able to practice OB for the first trimester of pregnancy and in emergencies, based on the agreement he signed with the State Board of Medical Examiners.Active recruitment is still ongoing for a family-practice physician able to care for OB, said Andersen.“ When this happens, OB will resume,” he added.“ Dr. Zwerdlinger is critical to the success of this hospital. We need her here, and we want her here,” said Andersen, who doesn’t want to see Zwerdlinger leave the community as a result of the cancelled OB services.With the suspension set to take effect at the end of July, Andersen and Zwerdlinger have been working out a schedule to eliminate divert days during July, according to Zwerdlinger.“ We are putting together a plan to cover all OB shifts (in

order) to not go on divert days,” she said.Her hope for the July meeting is to have the decision reversed, said Zwerdlinger.If the decision is not reversed, and Zwerdlinger’s OB patients, which number about 45, have to go over the hill to have their babies, a backup plan is being formed, said Zwerdlinger.“ I will not leave them hanging in the wind,” she said. She hopes, however, that the board will give her more than three days notice before the suspension.

City, county dispute centers on fire departmentby Ann E. WibbenmeyerHerald Staff Writer

The county commissioners have issues with Leadville-Lake County Fire Rescue.Commission Chair Ken Olsen is not seeing adequate service for the 70 percent the county pays for the fire department.“ The Twin Lakes volunteer fire department has gone from having volunteers to having nothing,” he said.Housed at the station in Twin Lakes is a brush truck, an old forest service truck and, previously, an ambulance.The forest service truck was sitting outside unequipped to prevent theft, while the ambulance took its space in the garage, according to Fire Chief Karl Bauer. The perception was that the ambulance would be more readily needed than the fire truck.This concerned Olsen, who felt a fire department should be equipped to fight fire.The ambulance was moved out of the station to allow the forest service truck to be action-ready.There is still no one to cover the fire department, as there are only two volunteers. One is out of service due to an injury, according to Olsen.He mentioned at the June 14 fire department budget meeting that the county is starting to think seriously about taking over the Twin Lakes department.Legislation now allows a county to maintain a fire department in a public improvement area, according to city council member Carol Hill.The county board would have to make a decision by July to put the question on the November ballot.Bauer responded to Olsen by asking him what kind of service Olsen is looking for in the Twin Lakes area, so that Bauer knew how to start planning.The law says that anyone who fights fire must be a certified fire fighter, whether volunteer or paid, said Bauer.Olsen had a different idea of a volunteer. His was more community-based: someone who can have the trucks ready, make sure there is enough water at the fire, stand back and watch for safety issues, but not actually go into a house and fight fire.Training should include a class here and there for a volunteer, said Olsen.

“ Not a 40-hour-per-week commitment.”“ We can have a standard of training,” said Bauer. He told Olsen that he needed the support of the government to do so.“ Some will want to go on to get extra training,” he added.According to Hill, the former fire chief turned off many of the volunteers who were at the Twin Lakes station.Also, the station was renamed from the Twin Lakes Volunteer Fire Department to station 2. This lost the Twin Lakes community sense of ownership, said Olsen.He told Bauer that he wanted to build the community support again, which could be harder with the baggage from the previous chief than starting from scratch, he said.“ Restore a level of respect for people protecting their own community,” said Hill.He told Olsen that the goals should be based out of one station, not this station and that station.SIDE BAR:Carol Hill informed the City Council on Tuesday, June 21, that the county commissioners intend to put a question on the ballot about having their own fire department.She had a separate conversation with Commission Chair Ken Olsen outside the meeting and wanted to share it with the community.Mayor Bud Elliott responded by saying that the county is not showing support for the fire department.At a scheduled cleanup of the Twin Lakes station, the fire chief, his wife and the mayor were the only ones that showed up, said Elliott.He added that the Twin Lakes community has voiced some concerns that the ambulance was removed from the station.“ Hill is not representing the city, but the county,” Elliott added. “The county has three people and the city, two.”He suggested that if Hill continued to support the county that she be replaced by someone who would represent the city at the meetings.She responded that she is trying to act in the best interest of the city, that taxes are paid in both the city and the county and that the idea should not be offhandedly rejected because it comes from the county commissioners.

County: ‘What do we get out of it?’by Ann E. WibbenmeyerHerald Staff Writer

“ What does Lake County get out of it?” was the question asked by the commissioners at the regular meeting Monday night.Two items of discussion were the land swap between Aurora and the U.S. Forest Service, and the Bureau of Reclamation’s offer to purchase land from Aurora to be added to the Arkansas Headwaters Recreation Area.The purchase of the land would fulfill the settlement with the state and the BOR for damages from the Leadville Mine Drainage Tunnel. The BOR would fund the purchase, but Colorado State Parks would own the land.

Commission Chair Ken Olsen voiced his concern that ste parks would add a fee for access. He also said the land would be going to state parks and not to Lake County.“ The damages are in Lake County. Lake County should end up with it,” he said.With the state owning the property, there would not be a tax supplement as with the federal land in the county, he added.Olsen did say that fishing was a benefit to Lake County and felt a compromise could be made so that half the access is free under Lake County and half the access has a state park fee.Mark Cole spoke up about the advantage to fisherman in Lake County. He helped AHRA with a field survey of fisherman between Granite and Hayden Meadows between May and September last year, he said.The survey gave him a statistical number of people who fish in Lake County over an entire summer. His number was 5,000 fishermen per season.He also shared a statistic of $35 per day per fisherman spent in local communities where they fish.“ The county does not directly benefit from fishing,” he said, but there is a benefit.When Aurora bought the land proposed to be swapped with the USFS, Lake County was given the right to acquire surplus property and the right of first refusal if the land were ever to be sold.“ We are being asked to give up property rights,” said Olsen of the proposal.Commissioner Carl Schaefer noted that Lake County should get something for relinquishing its rights.He started a shopping list to trade for the rights that included obtaining 20 acre-feet of water to use as the county sees fit.Commissioner Mike Hickman added that the county needs vaulted bathrooms for Kendrick Park that was just opened by the county.“ Thirty-four thousand dollars is a sweet deal,” he said, about the cost of the toilets. The 40 acres of land would be worth $800 per acre for the county to buy.The door was open for negotiations, said Olsen.

The Leadville Lake County Fire Department had a chance to play with a demonstration ladder truck on Thursday. The fire department has been discussing the purchase of a new ladder truck. Photo by Ann E. Wibbenmeyer

Ballot question possible on county fire departmentCarol Hill informed the City Council on Tuesday, June 21, that the county commissioners intend to put a question on the ballot about having their own fire department.She had a separate conversation with Commission Chair Ken Olsen outside the meeting and wanted to share it with the community.Mayor Bud Elliott responded by saying that the county is not showing support for the fire department.At a scheduled cleanup of the Twin Lakes station, the fire chief, his wife and the mayor were the only ones that showed up, said Elliott.He added that the Twin Lakes community has voiced some

concerns that the ambulance was removed from the station.“ Hill is not representing the city, but the county,” Elliott added. “The county has three people and the city, two.”He suggested that if Hill continued to support the county that she be replaced by someone who would represent the city at the meetings.She responded that she is trying to act in the best interest of the city, that taxes are paid in both the city and the county and that the idea should not be offhandedly rejected because it comes from the county commissioners.

[top]

Front Page | Subscribe | Visitor's Guide | Classifieds | PeaksNewsNet

The Web Site contains material which is protected by international Copyright and trademark laws. No material may be copied, reproduced, republished, broadcast or distributed in any way or decompiled, except that you may download one copy of the Materials on any single computer

for your personal, non-commercial home use only, provided you keep intact all copyright and other proprietary notices.On-line publication, Copyright 2005, The Herald Democrat.

Web page design, Copyright 2005, Arkansas Valley Publishing.Please report all site viewing problems to our WebMaster

This site is updated weekly

June 30, 2005 Edition

Sports & Recreation Page

Racers in the 2005 Lap the Lake bicycle race started off promptly at 9 a.m. on Saturday. Photo by Susan B. Cole

Lap the Lake draws 72 participantsSeventy-two people signed up for the annual Lap the Lake event held Saturday and sponsored for the first time by the Leadville-Lake County Sports Hall of Fame, according to Carlos Martinez of LLCSHF.Below are listed the top finishers in each race.

Rec department schedules summer fun ProgramThe Lake County Recreation Department is offering a variety of programs this summer for kids, teens, adults and seniors.For kids, the recreation department is starting the Summer

Fun Program. This program will offer age-appropriate, supervised sporting activities, arts and crafts and other surprises on Tuesdays and Thursdays. Kids ages three to five years old attend from 8 to 10 a.m., six- to nine-year-olds attend from 11 a.m. to 1 p.m., and 10- to 13-year-olds attend from 2 to 4 p.m.The second Summer Fun session will run from Aug. 2 to Aug.18 and cost $30 per child. The registration deadline for the second session is July 12.Pick up registration forms at the recreation office, the treasurer’s office or the swimming pool. The 6th Street gym will have Open Teen Night on Friday nights from 7:30 to 10:30 p.m. starting July 15. With different activities each week, teens can play basketball, pickle ball, soccer and more. Cost is only $1 per day.Moms/Dads and Tots swim classes for kids ages 4 and under will be Wednesday mornings at 9 a.m. The cost for these lessons is $20 plus pool admission.Adults have a variety of recreation opportunities available as well. Adult swim lessons will be Monday evenings at 7:30 p.m. through the summer. These lessons are for beginners or more advanced adults who want to work on their swimming strokes. The cost is $30 plus pool admission.High-impact water aerobics will also be Monday evenings at 7:30. This high-energy, calorie-burning workout costs $20 for the 15-class punch card plus pool admission.Adults can also enjoy adult drop-in badminton and pickle ball on Tuesday and Thursday evenings from 7 to 10 p.m. at the 6th Street gym. Tuesday, July 5, will include a badminton seminar, and Thursday, July 7, will have a pickle ball seminar, both free. The next week will start the drop-in play. Cost is $2 per day.Senior events include low-impact water aerobics, aerobics and senior afternoons, and these are detailed in the Senior News.For more information on any of these summer programs, call Larry Colley, recreation director, at 486-4142.

[TOP]

Front Page | Subscribe | Visitor's Guide | Classifieds | PeaksNewsNet

June 30, 2005 Edition

Editorial

From the editor

Bad callLet’s see if we’ve got this straight. St. Vincent Hospital belongs to this community. We community members elect a board of directors to represent us in making decisions for the hospital.Seems pretty simple, doesn’t it? Here’s our current problem. Last Thursday the St. Vincent Hospital Board held its regular public meeting and then went into executive session.This is where the Sunshine Law kicks in. A board first is required by law to identify the particular matter to be discussed at executive session in as much detail as possible.These items may be permitted in executive session: matters which state or federal law require to be kept confidential, security arrangements, property matters such as selling or acquiring property, receiving legal advice from an attorney on specific legal questions, determining positions on matters that may be subject to negotiations; and personnel matters unless the individuals ask that it be kept open.In any case, the board went into executive session with no detail given. The reporters at the meeting were told that the CEO would call them on Friday if any action were taken following the executive session. No call came Friday; no calls to the CEO or Board Chair Charleen Smith were returned.On Monday, we finally received information that the board had gone back into open session following the executive session on Thursday and voted to stop delivering babies at the hospital, at least temporarily.Huh?Why was this decision made behind closed doors? How does it relate to any of the items appropriate for executive

sessions? Why would the board want to make a decision of this sort without getting input from the public or providing any information to the public on the basis for this decision? There are roughly 45 pregnant women here in Lake County. Didn’t anyone care what they think?We have one doctor in Lake County who can deliver babies, Dr. Lisa Zwerdlinger. She has been trying to work with the hospital to ensure adequate coverage, but even she didn’t know that the matter was being discussed on Thursday.Dr. Wayne Callen abstained from voting on the matter Thursday, but we understand that he did attend the executive session. Because we believe that the executive session should have been open to the public, we have asked to listen to the tapes. The answer was no. We are pursuing other avenues at this time.The positive news is that the closure of the maternity ward now won’t take place until July 30. This will follow the next hospital board meeting where, we have been told, there will be full discussion of the matter and information will be presented on the pros and cons of this action. We will be interested to hear what is said.After the happenings of the past year, the hospital board should be on a mission to regain credibility. The recent closed-door session was a step backward.Marcia MartinekHerald Editor

June 30, 2005 Edition

Obituaries

Clarence “Mac” McDanielNorth Fork area resident, Clarence “Mac” McDaniel, passed away on Saturday, June 25, at his home. He was 71 years of age. A visitation was held for family and friends on Wednesday, June 29, at Taylor Funeral Service Chapel in Paonia, Colo., followed by a rosary service at 6 p.m. at the chapel. A Mass of Christian Burial will be held at 10 a.m., on Thursday, June 30, at Sacred Heart Catholic Church in Paonia, with Father Bill Nelson officiating. Burial will follow at Cedar Hill Cemetery in Paonia. McDaniel was born on June 7, 1934, to Carl and Katie (Whitaker) McDaniel in Nogal, N.M. He spent his childhood in New Mexico and Delta, Colo. He graduated from Delta High School with the class of 1953. McDaniel spent 24 years in Leadville before moving to Paonia 11 years ago. On Oct. 25, 1956, he married Carole Giusti in San Leandro, Calif. They celebrated more than 48 years of marriage together. She survives. McDaniel was employed at ASARCO, a lead and zinc mine, as the maintenance superintendent in Leadville. He retired from there after 24 years of service. He also served his country in the U. S. Navy during the Korean War. McDaniel was a member of the Sacred Heart Catholic Church in Paonia. He served on the Pitkin Mesa water board and was a member of the Wilson-Head American Legion #97. He was also an instructor for hunters’ safety education classes. McDaniel enjoyed hunting and fishing and working in his garden. He loved to tinker in his shop. Survivors include his wife, Carole McDaniel of Paonia, Colo.; a son, Jeffrey McDaniel, and his wife, Barbi, of Springfield, Mo.; a daughter, Jennifer Esgro, and her husband, Tom, of Highlands Ranch, Colo.; and a sister, Shirley Falsetto, and her husband, Albert, of Gunnison, Colo. He is also survived by a grandson, Mikeal McDaniel of Colorado Springs, Colo.; and several nieces and nephews.

He was preceded in death by his parents and one brother. Memorial contributions may be made in McDaniel’s memory to Hospice and Palliative Care of Western Colorado, P.O. Box 24, Delta, CO, 81416. Arrangements are under the care and direction of Taylor Funeral Service and Crematory. View the Internet memorial and sign the on-line guest registry at taylorfuneralservice.com.

June 30, 2005 Edition

Letters to the editor...

Here’s chance to send message to councilA few words regarding the city’s TABOR question on this year’s ballot. This is basically the same override, or “de-brucing” measure originally passed by city voters in 1996, except that it uses 2003 as the base year and will no longer automatically be presented to the voters every four years for renewal. It will continue the 75/25 split of “excess” revenues (the amount that TABOR would normally require be returned to taxpayers) between the city and the taxpayers, with the city allowed to keep 75%, and 25% being used to lower the city mill levy.One thing that should be pointed out about this TABOR question is that it provides city taxpayers with the opportunity to send a message to the city council. Basically, if you approve of the council’s handling of your tax money and its spending priorities the past few years, vote yes on City Referendum 2A. If you don’t approve, vote no and put the city back under the fiscal restraints required by TABOR. What would happen to the city if this ballot question were to fail? Probably a lot of whining, followed by the council referring this question back to the ballot next year, which wouldn’t be a big deal, because we have city elections next year anyway. However, if you’ve been unhappy with the city council’s spending decisions, this is your opportunity to let it know. Turning down this request will definitely get its attention, and working again under TABOR’s spending restrictions, even for just a year, should assure that the council is more careful with your money in the future. The city has applied for one new grant from the Colorado State Historical Society, for repairs to the Tabor home, and that grant could be affected by this ballot question. However, according to the city administrator, this grant doesn’t look too promising anyway, because the CSHS awarded a similar grant to the Tabor home just a few years

ago. As for my preference, in this instance, I don’t have one. On the one hand, I’ve supported TABOR since its inception, and still believe in its value as a budget tool, as it imposes sometimes much-needed spending discipline on well-intended, but not always fiscally prudent, lawmakers. On the other hand, I like this TABOR question because it guarantees that 25% of excess revenue (when we have some again) will go toward eliminating the city’s mill levy. So, on this matter I can happily abide by the will of the voters. I just thought someone should point out this aspect of the choice before them when voting on city Referendum 2A.Carol HillLeadville City Council Member

Help with kids’ mining eventsSince 1996, the kids’ hand-mucking event at Boom Days has happened because of Tim Behm’s organization and local business donations.A ribbon, drink and snack are provided to all participants ages 5 to 16 years for an entry fee of $1. Trophies for first, second and third place are awarded to five age divisions, with cash and gift certificates for meals or desserts going to the winners.Please keep this kids’ event running. We still need supporters donating cash and prizes. If you can help, we will post your name at the event as a supporter. A drawing will be held to raise money for this event with tickets for $2 each or 6 for $10. Come see our booth behind the Elks Lodge and purchase a ticket in support of this event. Last year this drawing brought in close to $250.If you can support this event with cash or a prize this year, it is greatly appreciated. Any donation should be sent or brought in to: Tim’s Custom Auto Body Glass On Behalf of Kids Mining Events, 501 U.S. Highway 24, Leadville, CO 80461.Donate by Monday, Aug. 1, 2005, so a list of supporters can be made for the event.Call 486-0071 if you can volunteer your time to make the event run more smoothly. You can help to sign up kids, run a stopwatch or catch sand with Tim.This event is Sunday afternoon, Aug. 6, following the men’s mining events. This in no way makes you or your business liable for the participants.Please help support another great year of learning about Leadville’s mining heritage. Tim and Lora BehmLeadville