by Patty LaTaille & Mike Rosso
How Dry Is It – Really?
A Fire Hazard Emergency has been declared within Saguache County as of June 15.
It’s a rarity – but here it is: Due to the serious drought in the SLV, the Board of County Commissioners of Saguache County decided that – based upon “competent evidence” – the danger of wildfires within Saguache County is high and declared the county under Level 1 Fire Restrictions. The restrictions apply to all unincorporated areas in Saguache County East of the Continental Divide.
Big Blaze in Downtown Alamosa
A fire in downtown Alamosa caused nearly a half million dollars in damage according to Alamosa Fire Department (AFD) Chief Don Chapman.
The June 9 blaze in the 1400 block of Main Street took nearly 24 hours to get under control in what was called one of the worst fires in recent Alamosa history, according to The Valley Courier.
The cause of the fire was determined to be combustibles that had been stored near a water heater. Assisting the AFD were crews and trucks from Monte Vista, Costilla, Del Norte and Mosca/Hooper fire departments. The only injury was suffered by an AFD volunteer.
Scary Fire Situation
Five fires of suspicious origin are under investigation in Saguache County.
All of the fires occurred between 3:30 and 7 p.m. on June 26. These potential acts of arson in Saguache County began at 3:32 p.m. at the South Crestone Campground, where two tenths acres were burned. Then at 4:04 p.m., the second fire of suspicious origin was noticed at the North Crestone Campground area, where one tenth acre was burned.
Twenty minutes later, at 4:25 p.m., another fire – this time at Twin View Overlook in the Baca, where one tenth acre was burned.
Less than an hour later, at 5:21 p.m., a fire was discovered off BLM Road 5300, just east of Saguache. five – seven acres were burned.
The fifth fire of suspicious origin was called in at 6:50 p.m. at Ute Springs west of Saguache, where three tenths acre was burned.
Saguache Clerk Cleared of Wrongdoing
On June 14 the Colorado State Attorney General’s Office released a report on the Saguache County 2010 General Election. No indictments were returned.
The 2010 election became embroiled in controversy after election results were re-tabulated due to an operating error resulting in the reversal of two races. The grand jury cleared Saguache County Clerk and Recorder Melinda Myers of any criminal wrongdoing in the November election.
According to the grand jury report, “The results of the 2010 general election were a product of the votes of the citizens of Saguache County and were not affected by individual violations of the procedural rules by the clerk and others.”
Get Alamosa Moving!
LiveWell Coordinator Liza Marron proposed the “Let’s Move City” project to the Alamosa city council at its June 15 meeting.
According to The Valley Courier, “If Alamosa would become a “Let’s Move City,” it would help solve the obesity epidemic. Four goal areas of a “Let’s Move City” are: helping families make healthy choices; creating healthy schools; providing access to affordable food; and promote physical activity.
LiveWell Alamosa is one of 24 such organizations promoting healthy communities around the state, and through its sponsor organization Valley-Wide Health Systems has brought $1.2 million in grant funding to the community to increase physical activity and promote healthy nutrition. Alamosa already provides great grocery stores, the Farmers Market and trail systems.
