First Issue of The Valley Beat!
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Hello and welcome to the first edition of
The Valley Beat. We are so excited to bring the news of the Wet Mountain Valley to you each and every week. This will be the one and only “editorial” within the pages of each issue, going forward. One thing that I often heard during my time as a reporter was the dislike for editorials. You will also never find my opinion inserted into any articles I write and they will always be truthful, fair, and balanced. What you will find each week are all the weekly news, events, features, and weather that you need to plan your week ahead. |
If there is a news item or event that you
would like to see covered, please contact me via email at editor@thevalleybeat.net. You may also call the office phone at 719-315- 6172. You may also submit letters and additional feedback, or press releases to the above email as well. If you have a tech question or would like to inquire on a digital copy of a photo, please email Madeline at visiblerootbeer@yahoo.com. I have tried to make subscriptions affordable for everyone. My mission is not to “get rich”, it is to do what I love. Putting pen to paper, or my fingers to the keyboard is my passion. Delivering the news to you, knowing I did my best, is my promise. Thank you so much and welcome to The Valley Beat! |
Local Postal Issues Hot Topic Today
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** PUBLIC MEETING NOTICE ** Silver
Cliff, Westcliffe and Custer County Residents: Hi All! FYI - Congressman Scott Tipton has "invited" officials from the U.S. Postal Service to attend a public meeting to address the concerns and complaints arising from the Westcliffe/Silver Cliff Post Office that have been ignored since last January. The public meeting will be held on Monday, JULY 29, from 10:30 a.m. until noon at Tony's Pizza in Silver Cliff. |
The complains range from, but are not
limited to, customer service issues, our citizens being abused, berated, and embarrassed (especially our Veterans and elderly), medications being returned, lost or damaged packages, mail being returned, being refused curbside delivery, or being harassed, annoyed or threatened... If you've been subject to, or have been victimized by the USPS at the Westcliffe / Silver Cliff Post Office please attend and voice your concerns and specific complaints. Press Release (A full article will be in next week’s issue of The Valley Beat.) |
Senator Cory Gardner Visits The Valley
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U.S. Senator, Cory Gardner made a stop in Westcliffe
on Friday, July 12. The purpose of the visit was to hear from local business owners, residents, and community leaders what their concerns were and how he might work on addressing them. Gardner began the morning in Silver Cliff where he spoke with Sam Hepp, Owner of Tony’s Mountain Pizza, along with Commissioner Bill Canda, Undersheriff Chris Barr, Silver Cliff Mayor Pro-Tem Sgt. HA “Buck” Wenzel, and Westcliffe Mayor Paul Wenke, before heading out on a horse-drawn wagon courtesy of Freeman Miller. While in Silver Cliff, he also spoke with Willie Quinney and his wife, Cheryl from the Silver Cliff Mountain Inn, A.K.A. “Willie’s Place,” Barbara Phillips, owner of Scorpion Gym, Custer County School board member, Jake Shy, and Nancy Watson and her son, Paul, an Iraq war veteran. As the local dignitaries rode along the roads of Silver Cliff, they shared with the senator the concerns the town faces with trying to maintain roads and best serve the citizens of the community on a tight budget. For decades now, Silver Cliff has faced a shortage in sales tax revenue due to losing its zip code. The second stop in the tour was to visit with owner of Westcliffe Petroleum, Russ Hartbauer. He shared with Gardner the concerns that a raise in minimum wage would present to small business owners if the proposal would pass. Gardner replied that, “you want people to earn more money and it is by growing the economy, growing business, and having more people coming in and getting more people to come to the business.” The senator also expressed that he would help Custer County any way he can, including with grants, letters of support, and anything else his office could do. Gardner wanted to let the citizens know that with regards to broadband, “we just introduced and hope to get it passed, a bill. The federal government holds all the spectrum and it needs to get out to the private sector. We think the next auction could be worth $60 billion dollars.” Canda emphasized that the county is currently working with Sally Clark from the United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) on a grant for both municipalities and Custer County, along with a continuing relationship with the Department of Local Affairs (DOLA) on broadband support for more wireless towers to come into the Valley. |
Gardner continued, “we will take 10 percent of the
proceeds from the auction, which equates to $6 billion dollars for rural broadband, infrastructure, and employment. Believe it or not, the bill has bipartisan agreement,” he chuckled. It is called the “Airwaves Act.” “Roger Wicker from Mississippi, also a strong advocate for rural broadband, and Marsha Blackburn of Tennessee sits on the committee.” Wenke expressed that there are a lot of consultants and other professionals that would love to come up to the Valley to live this lifestyle but they need reliable high-speed broadband. Gardner stated, “it is beautiful here. This is where I have to be frustrated with my ancestors. My ancestors took a wagon and they got lazy, 10 more days and they could’ve been here. But, they got lazy and stayed in Yuma!” The next went further into Westcliffe with a stop outside of Salty Pine, where he spoke with Angie Arterburn of Arterburn Fine Arts & Graphics, Sue Barton of Barton Manor, and John Johnston, owner of the Courtyard Inn and local real estate expert. They spoke of the challenges facing local businesses and expressed how tough it is to make it in Custer County and the towns. How do we build the area and also preserve what we already have, at the same time? Gardner commented that in Yuma, CO where he is from, it is small and they don’t want to become another Greeley or Denver. The challenge is the same we face in the Wet Mountain Valley. The final stop was down at the Village Shop and a visit and tour of the store owned by Gary and Janice King. Canda presented the senator with the Custer County seal and a money clip. It was empty, of course but Canda told Gardner that the next time he sees him in Custer County, he “wants him coming back with big grant monies.” The visit took about an hour and a half and in that time, Gardner was shown our great hospitality, our challenges, the beauty of the area, and all that makes the Valley what it is and the importance of keeping our values such as preserving our heritage, while growing our economy. To reach out to Sen. Gardner, please call his local office in Pueblo at: 719-543-1324 - By Tracy Ballard |
- In back: Cathy Garcia, Regional Director for U.S. Sen. Cory Gardner. In front from L: Undersheriff Chris Barr, Westcliffe Mayor Paul Wenke, Owner of Westcliffe Petroleum Russ Hartbauer, U.S. Sen. Cory Gardner, Custer County Commissioner Bill Canda, and Silver Cliff Mayor Pro-Tem, Sgt. HA “Buck” Wenzel. - Photo by Tracy Ballard