OURAY COUNTY

January 24, 1974 – The Ridgway Garage was broken into last Wednesday night for the second time in two months and burglarized. This time, however, two suspects were apprehended and are now in the Montrose County Jail. Auto parts and money were taken. Ouray County Sheriff Art Dougherty was patrolling at approximately 11:30 that evening and noticed a car parked in front of the garage. When he returned a few minutes later, the car was gone and the garage doors were wide open. Dougherty radioed to the Montrose County Sheriff’s Department and the Montrose City Police, giving a description of the car, and the suspects were apprehended in Montrose approximately a half-hour later.

40 YEARS AGO

January 26, 1984 – Three members of the Ad Hoc Pool Committee worked last Friday afternoon on the Ouray pool as part of the project to develop some means by which the pool can be kept in use year-round. Elwood Gregory, Rich Spaulding and Steve Keffeler erected a temporary wooden wall across part of the shallow end to segregate it from the rest of the pool in the hope of raising the water temperature in the separated part by reducing the surface area exposed to the cold air. Gregory said that a water temperature of 104 degrees is the goal for which the committee is working.

Spaulding said that Colorado-Ute, which has been giving the committee technical advice, estimated that this temperature could be maintained in a pool area of about 2,000-square-feet. By Monday afternoon, the water temperature in the segregated area was over the 104- degree goal, according to David Vince of the committee. Vince expressed his confidence that year around pool use might be a reality starting next winter.

30 YEARS AGO

January 27, 1994 – The Ouray School Board once again heard from parents of special education students Monday night to re-hash concerns with the special education program at the school. In another emotion-charged meeting the parents discussed their concerns that modifications to the children’s classroom work were not consistently being implemented by some regular education teachers as mandated by the law. “If (modifications) are not being implemented on a consistent basis then everybody loses,” said Debbie Placette, a former special education teacher. “These things make the difference between my child making good grades and bad grades, learning and not learning, and a high self esteem and a low self esteem.” “The difficulty we run into is parent and student perceptions that once we implement the IEP, the student will learn exceptionally – that’s not the case.

The idea for the child is to make progress, if the child makes a C instead of a D, that’s educational progress,” said principal Ginny Ficco.

20 YEARS AGO

January 23, 2004 – The framework of a water-bottling plant, many years in the planning, has emerged at the north entrance of Ouray. Two steel frames have been erected. One is a 20,000-squarefoot bottling plant and the other is a 15,000-square-foot warehouse. The new Biota plant will employ a small staff to operate the bottling equipment. Eighteen employees will be hired about 30 days before the plant becomes operational to operate in-line machinery, according to Biota CEO David Zutler. “We hope to have the exterior, walls and roof, by the end of February,” said Zutler. Biota has contracted with the city to begin production by July 31. Distribution of the bottled water will be first “starting off regionally.

Our intent is to be a national brand,” said Zutler.

10 YEARS AGO

January 23, 2014 – EDITORIAL: The Plaindealer made an open records request last week to obtain what we believe are public records. The city attorney has asked for a short extension of time while the city council considers our request.

The city council in Ouray, as you recall, voted to solicit and accept public comments regarding City Administrator Patrick Rondinelli, comments pertaining to his job performance. These comments were supposed to be submitted anonymously, but even if signed they were guaranteed to be presented without signature to the council. Amazingly, these anonymous comments, without requisite of origin related to author or locale, could be considered in Rondinelli’s job review performed by the council. The Plaindealer believes this is neither fair to the city administrator — in so many ways and on so many levels — nor is it proper that public comments to council, solicited by council, should remain anonymous and off limits to the very public from whence requested.

We don’t mince words in stating that the voters of Ouray should feel insulted that public input shrouded in secrecy and anonymity is being welcomed as a matter of policy in running aspects of the city’s business. – Alan Todd