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TOWC Hears Updates From CCSO on Second and Third Quarter Report and From
RMWSD During Monthly Meeting
The Town of Westcliffe Board of Trustees held their monthly meeting on Monday, October 17, 2022, where they heard the quarterly Sheriff’s report, heard liquor license renewal requests, and received updates from Round Mountain Water & Sanitation District (RMWSD).
Following approval of the consent agenda, the board also voted to approve the liquor license for Chud’s Pizza and Burgers. Sheriff Robert Hill presented the second and third quarter report on callouts for that time period. Sheriff Hill stated that the second quarter of this year had been quite busy while many crimes had gone down in the town of Westcliffe during the third quarter. One crime in particular saw an increase in occurrences that being identity theft and fraud, largely targeting senior citizens. Hill also spoke on the attempted escape by a Huerfano inmate in the Custer County jail. The attempted escape was thwarted, and steps have been taken to correct the access problem. The inmate never gained access to the outside. Many kudos went out to the Custer County Sheriff’s Posse for some 2,000 hours they have collectively donated to date. They assist the Sheriff’s Office with many functions including parking violations, parades, checking on vacant homes, and helping recover lost items for their rightful owners.
Dave Schneider reported on the goings-on with RMWSD, including that the water meter replacement project is finished. This project has made it possible for customers to save many hundreds of thousands of gallons of water due to these improvements. Additionally, The Colorado Department of Public Health and Environment (CDPHE) has approved the design of the new wastewater treatment plant, with construction set to begin by the end of 2023. As to the question on the moratorium on new taps, Schneider stated, “I have recommended to our board that we lift the moratorium the moment the first shovel breaks ground.”
The next monthly board meeting will be held on Monday, November 21, 2022, at 5:30 p.m.
Tracy Ballard
Following approval of the consent agenda, the board also voted to approve the liquor license for Chud’s Pizza and Burgers. Sheriff Robert Hill presented the second and third quarter report on callouts for that time period. Sheriff Hill stated that the second quarter of this year had been quite busy while many crimes had gone down in the town of Westcliffe during the third quarter. One crime in particular saw an increase in occurrences that being identity theft and fraud, largely targeting senior citizens. Hill also spoke on the attempted escape by a Huerfano inmate in the Custer County jail. The attempted escape was thwarted, and steps have been taken to correct the access problem. The inmate never gained access to the outside. Many kudos went out to the Custer County Sheriff’s Posse for some 2,000 hours they have collectively donated to date. They assist the Sheriff’s Office with many functions including parking violations, parades, checking on vacant homes, and helping recover lost items for their rightful owners.
Dave Schneider reported on the goings-on with RMWSD, including that the water meter replacement project is finished. This project has made it possible for customers to save many hundreds of thousands of gallons of water due to these improvements. Additionally, The Colorado Department of Public Health and Environment (CDPHE) has approved the design of the new wastewater treatment plant, with construction set to begin by the end of 2023. As to the question on the moratorium on new taps, Schneider stated, “I have recommended to our board that we lift the moratorium the moment the first shovel breaks ground.”
The next monthly board meeting will be held on Monday, November 21, 2022, at 5:30 p.m.
Tracy Ballard
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Family Night Returns - “Bobcat Strong” Family Night
Next Thursday, Nov 10, 5:30 p.m., MPR (West Entrance of School) Cell Phones and Social
Media: The Good, Bad, and the Ugly.
The Bobcat Strong Family Nights return with a very timely and critical topic for parents-Cell
Phones. Pizza dinner will be served at 5:30 p.m. in the MPR followed by discussion based on the
documentary “Screenagers.”
The film explores the struggles families face over cell phones, social media, video games,
academics, and internet addiction. Parents will be able to discuss their concerns and victories in
this new world of cell phones and devices and will leave the evening with easy- to- implement
ideas for their families. No matter what age, your child is, this night is sure to provide
information for the topic every parent must have a plan for. The night will wrap up with a family
dodgeball game. Childcare will be provided for children 2+.
Media: The Good, Bad, and the Ugly.
The Bobcat Strong Family Nights return with a very timely and critical topic for parents-Cell
Phones. Pizza dinner will be served at 5:30 p.m. in the MPR followed by discussion based on the
documentary “Screenagers.”
The film explores the struggles families face over cell phones, social media, video games,
academics, and internet addiction. Parents will be able to discuss their concerns and victories in
this new world of cell phones and devices and will leave the evening with easy- to- implement
ideas for their families. No matter what age, your child is, this night is sure to provide
information for the topic every parent must have a plan for. The night will wrap up with a family
dodgeball game. Childcare will be provided for children 2+.
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Sugar is Toxic
Let’s talk about poison this week. Would you knowingly ingest poison into your body? No, right? You wouldn’t knowingly drink drain cleaner or eat a bar of rat bait, that’s just ridiculous to even think, isn’t it? But yet, we poison our bodies daily by the food choices we make.
We have been trying to improve our health, but health isn’t just about a number on a scale. I found this definition of health “Health can be defined as physical, mental, and social wellbeing, and as a resource for living a full life. It refers not only to the absence of disease, but the ability to recover and bounce back from illness and other problems.” To improve our health, we need to focus on what we are willingly putting into our bodies, and at times, we are willingly putting poison in them.
So let’s discuss poison. I know that you are not going to eat or drink something that you know is toxic for you, but yet we ingest sugar and high fructose corn syrup daily. Both of these substances are toxic to our bodies and our health.
Do you know sugar triggers the same response in your brain as using heroin or cocaine does? Yes, it is that addicting. In fact, they say it is easier to give up the drugs than the sugar!! One of the major problems with sugar is that it is added to and hidden in everything, so we consume more of it than we should. Sugar also feeds inflammation in your body. Those aches and pains you have, they are worse when you consume sugar. Need another reason to think about quitting sugar? Research shows there is a link between sugar consumption and breast and prostate cancers. In fact, studies have shown that cancer cells feed on sugar. They grow and multiply when they have access to sugar!! Does this scare you? It does me, in fact, that is why I have removed sugar from my life!! Just to clarify here, we are talking about added sugars, not the sugar that occurs naturally in fruit. If you want a banana, an apple, or a bowl of watermelon, go for it!!
So how do you go about removing sugar from your life? Well, the most obvious sources of sugar are cookies, cakes, candy, and the huge one, SODA. When I mention giving up sugar to people they always say things like “I don’t eat sweets either.” Well, there's more to it than that. Eliminating sugar is easier to do once you remove the processed foods from your diet. Processed foods are usually heavy in sugar and sodium. You also need to be aware of everyday foods that have “hidden” sugar in them too. By hidden sugar I mean foods that have no reason to have sugar added to them but they do. Foods like canned kidney beans, salad dressing, canned peas, salsa, spaghetti sauce, ketchup, and more!!
Some foods that you think may be healthy but far from it are things like flavored yogurt. You should only buy plain yogurt. The rest is packed full of sugar! Even bread can have high sugar content, and BBQ sauce is packed with sugar too!! You can find foods without sugar in them, but it does take some label reading, and it does take the desire to want to make the change. It is so easy to say “well, it’s just a little sugar” but it adds up throughout the day and it keeps you addicted and remember that increased cancer risk?
You may think this is far- fetched. Do the research yourself. Talk to your doctor. Giving up sugar is one of the best things you can do for your health!!
We have been trying to improve our health, but health isn’t just about a number on a scale. I found this definition of health “Health can be defined as physical, mental, and social wellbeing, and as a resource for living a full life. It refers not only to the absence of disease, but the ability to recover and bounce back from illness and other problems.” To improve our health, we need to focus on what we are willingly putting into our bodies, and at times, we are willingly putting poison in them.
So let’s discuss poison. I know that you are not going to eat or drink something that you know is toxic for you, but yet we ingest sugar and high fructose corn syrup daily. Both of these substances are toxic to our bodies and our health.
Do you know sugar triggers the same response in your brain as using heroin or cocaine does? Yes, it is that addicting. In fact, they say it is easier to give up the drugs than the sugar!! One of the major problems with sugar is that it is added to and hidden in everything, so we consume more of it than we should. Sugar also feeds inflammation in your body. Those aches and pains you have, they are worse when you consume sugar. Need another reason to think about quitting sugar? Research shows there is a link between sugar consumption and breast and prostate cancers. In fact, studies have shown that cancer cells feed on sugar. They grow and multiply when they have access to sugar!! Does this scare you? It does me, in fact, that is why I have removed sugar from my life!! Just to clarify here, we are talking about added sugars, not the sugar that occurs naturally in fruit. If you want a banana, an apple, or a bowl of watermelon, go for it!!
So how do you go about removing sugar from your life? Well, the most obvious sources of sugar are cookies, cakes, candy, and the huge one, SODA. When I mention giving up sugar to people they always say things like “I don’t eat sweets either.” Well, there's more to it than that. Eliminating sugar is easier to do once you remove the processed foods from your diet. Processed foods are usually heavy in sugar and sodium. You also need to be aware of everyday foods that have “hidden” sugar in them too. By hidden sugar I mean foods that have no reason to have sugar added to them but they do. Foods like canned kidney beans, salad dressing, canned peas, salsa, spaghetti sauce, ketchup, and more!!
Some foods that you think may be healthy but far from it are things like flavored yogurt. You should only buy plain yogurt. The rest is packed full of sugar! Even bread can have high sugar content, and BBQ sauce is packed with sugar too!! You can find foods without sugar in them, but it does take some label reading, and it does take the desire to want to make the change. It is so easy to say “well, it’s just a little sugar” but it adds up throughout the day and it keeps you addicted and remember that increased cancer risk?
You may think this is far- fetched. Do the research yourself. Talk to your doctor. Giving up sugar is one of the best things you can do for your health!!
