The news of Southwest Colorado throughout 2024 has documented calculated change, the joyous success of communal victories and tense upheaval.
In November, the campaigns at all levels of government came to a climax when 81% of active voters in La Plata County cast a ballot in the general election.
Transitions abounded this year, including the rise of a new mayor in Bayfield, a new police chief in Durango, a new top prosecutor in the 6th Judicial District and the election of a new representative in Colorado’s 3rd Congressional District. Jessica Matlock left her role as chief executive at La Plata Electric Association and was replaced by state Sen. Chris Hansen. Tom Stritikus, the former president of Fort Lewis College, also announced his departure in April.
The cracks of lingering divisions in some parts of the community also widened this year.
Whatever narrow mandate Bayfield’s newly elected town board achieved quickly disintegrated as arguments, unprompted accusations and even criminal charges painted news of the town’s government. Durango’s tourism marketing agency, Visit Durango, is poised to be absorbed by the city next year after a slew of hardships in 2024 and the overwhelming passage of a ballot question that will redirect the lion’s share of the county’s contribution to Visit Durango’s budget toward other uses.
The Durango Herald has compiled lists of some of the most interesting, important and newsworthy things that happened in the community during 2024.
The city removed the intersection of Florida Road, 15th Street and East Third Avenue, referred to by some residents as “Malfunction Junction” for frequent traffic congestion, from its MidTown Safety and Connectivity project in September.
The city also decided to put off planning for construction funding for its Downtown’s Next Step project to improve walkability along the Fifth Street to 14th Street Main Avenue corridor, at least until it reaches the 60% design phase when construction cost estimates are possible and construction begins on the proposed joint city hall and police station.
Both projects have drawn vocal opposition from some downtown residents, although each project also has its share of proponents.
With Malfunction Junction, some residents oppose a proposed mini roundabout at the intersection. On Next Step, residents are worried about turning radii at corners where bulb-outs are proposed, the hit to businesses that construction would cause and the perceived threat to the historic character of the downtown.
The Durango & Silverton Narrow Gauge Railroad will be reunited with a prime piece of real estate after selling it to the city over 20 years ago.
The property is a parking lot adjacent to the McDonald’s on west College Drive. The city purchased it for $2.5 million in 2002 to help out D&SNG, which was in a dire financial situation. The city began leasing the parking lot back to the railroad.
Last year, the city interviewed two final applicants after a request for proposals process to explore development ideas for the property. The process fell apart after the realization one proposal had been altered between submission and interviews with City Council.
In the end, councilors opted to sell the parking lot back to the railroad for $4,375,000.
The sale agreement requires the railroad to perform landscaping such as a tree line to beautify the property, to install a welcome to Durango sign on the property and to develop apartments, retail and/or restaurant space.
A forensic audit earlier this year revealed the need for more oversight of Visit Durango, a sustainable tourism and destination management nonprofit in Durango.
The audit revealed flawed processes and procedures for reporting expenditures and other procedural issues, including unsigned, missing, incomplete and late tax and vendor service documents; alcohol purchases; and retroactively approved expense reports.
The city and the Visit Durango board of directors agreed to have the audit performed by the city’s independent auditor. It came about because the city was struggling to get invoices from Visit Durango, which receives the majority of the city’s lodgers tax revenues earmarked for sustainable tourism marketing.
In November, the city announced Visit Durango proposed a merger between the two organizations. The merger would bring more oversight to Visit Durango’s expenditures and activities. Many details of the merger still need to be worked out.
Benjamin Smith, a 28-year-old music teacher at Escalante Middle School, was arrested July 25 on suspicion of inappropriate sexual contact with minors and possessing “numerous” sexually explicit photographs of more than two dozen school-age minors living in the Durango area.
Smith is suspected of being behind a Snapchat account with the user name “MTNCHCK69,” in which he posed as a female student and engaged in sexually explicit communications with minors. He allegedly arranged to meet a 16-year-old minor July 23 in the parking lot at Chapman Hill. The teen was able to obtain a vehicle description and partial license plate, which led police to Smith.
He was originally charged in state court, but has since been charged in federal court with attempted coercion and enticement of a minor, and one count of possession of sexually explicit images of children.
The Durango Police Department hired one of its own, Deputy Chief Brice Current, to lead the organization after Bob Brammer, who had been in command for about five years, took a job as assistant city manager under City Manager José Madrigal.
Current came into the role with a community-first mindset, vowing to ensure the police department’s vision aligns with the community’s wants and needs.
Since then, the police department has unveiled a new fleet of hybrid Ford F-150s, worked with the city to revamp its municipal court so there is greater accountability for repeat offenders, and fought to maintain access at the county jail for repeat offenders facing municipal charges.
Sean Murray’s assent to top prosecutor for the 6th Judicial District – which includes Archuleta, San Juan and La Plata counties – took many twists and turns.
Murray, a Democrat, launched his bid for district attorney in 2023 to replace term-limited Christian Champagne. But Champagne resigned in mid-March, and Gov. Jared Polis tapped Murray as the interim district attorney.
The next day, Murray’s Democratic challenger, Jason Eley, dropped out of the primary election, leaving Murray as the sole candidate in November.
Murray vowed to continue diversion programs and alternatives to incarceration as a way to correct behavior, but said he has no problem seeking prison sentences for the most serious offenders.
In November, Durango School District 9-R’s Ballot Issue 4A passed with strong support, securing funding for a $150 million bond to support district improvements, including the construction of a new elementary school in Three Springs.
The new school, which is expected to cost $50 million, will be partially funded by property taxes. Homeowners with a property valued at $500,000 will contribute approximately $14 per month, or $168 annually.
With this money, the district will fund the construction of a new elementary school in Three Springs, address critical deferred maintenance needs, and explore affordable housing options for teachers and staff.
In October, officials at Durango schools notified staff members that they must remove “political flags, posters and items displaying political symbols” from classrooms, following a parental complaint.
The directive specifically called for the removal of Black Lives Matter flags and a variation of the LGBTQ+ pride flag that includes white, pink and light-blue stripes representing the transgender community, as well as symbols acknowledging intersex individuals and communities of color.
One week later, the Durango School District 9-R Board of Education voted unanimously to reverse the decision in response to community backlash. This event prompted the district to begin developing a formal policy regarding those specific symbols. A new policy is expected to be introduced in 2025.
In March, Fort Lewis College announced President Tom Stritikus would leave the institution at the end of the academic year for a job as head of Occidental College in Los Angeles.
Stritikus spent six years leading FLC.
The school’s board named Vice President of Finance and Administration Steven Schwartz as president in an interim capacity. In November, the board announced it would conduct a closed search for a permanent president and would not name any candidates, including the finalists, despite pledging transparency.
The board hopes to make a decision before graduation in May 2025.
Orio’s Roadhouse, a Durango bar known for allowing indoor smoking, transitioned to a nonsmoking establishment, ending its 18-year status as a “cigar-tobacco bar.” Owners Heidi and Rob Orio decided it was time to align with the community and attract a broader clientele. While the bar’s tobacco sales consistently met the criteria for maintaining its smoking designation, challenges like rising insurance costs and limited coverage options influenced their decision.
The decision to ban smoking sparked mixed reactions from the Roadhouse’s loyal patrons, many of whom valued its unique atmosphere. Regulars like John and Sharon Kusenberger cherished their routine of enjoying a smoke and a drink at the bar, while others, such as Donna Kramer, launched petitions to keep smoking alive.
For Heidi and Rob, the decision was bittersweet, as they had fought hard to keep the bar smoking-friendly. However, they are optimistic about the future, emphasizing their commitment to creating a welcoming environment for all customers. “We love all customers. Our regulars are considered family,” Heidi said in April. The owners hope the change will open new opportunities while preserving the community spirit that defines Orio’s Roadhouse.
Jack Llewellyn’s 17-year tenure as CEO of the Durango Chamber of Commerce came to an end in 2024, as he took on a new role with Hutton Broadcasting after May 17. Llewellyn became the general manager of Hutton-owned radio stations in Durango, Cortez, and Farmington, a move that reconnects him with his early career roots in radio.
During his time at the Chamber, Llewellyn left a lasting legacy of growth and innovation. He led a successful capital campaign to construct a new headquarters, restructured and rebranded the La Plata Economic Development Alliance, and played a pivotal role in helping local businesses navigate the challenges of the COVID-19 pandemic. His efforts included reactivating the Southwest Colorado Disaster Assistance Organization and securing funding, such as a $60,000 donation from the Coleman Foundation, to support struggling businesses.
Under Llewelyn’s leadership, the Chamber’s membership grew significantly, reaching 850 members before the pandemic. His dedication to fostering community connections and economic growth earned him widespread recognition from colleagues and business leaders in the region.
In August, former FLC Dean of Student Engagement Jeff Dupont took over the role as CEO.
A $1.25 million purchase of the lot at 1043 Main Ave. in downtown Durango was finalized in July, paving the way for a new four-story apartment and commercial complex, “Risdon Durango.” The Florida-based Risdon Group is spearheading the nearly $30 million project, which will combine residential and commercial spaces. The company plans for 75% of the building to consist of residential units available for purchase, including penthouses, while the remaining 25% will be commercial spaces.
The new development will replace the Studio & Gallery building, although Risdon Group CEO Steven Bradley expressed hope of keeping the gallery housed within the new structure. Construction is expected to begin in the spring. A parking garage will also be built to replace 45 private parking spots that will be lost during the development, with provisions for employers, including Alpine Bank, to reserve spaces.
The building’s design is intended to complement the architectural style of downtown Durango, aligning with the city’s guidelines and reflecting the aesthetic of the nearby Crossroads Building. While the project has generated excitement for its economic and cultural contributions, it will also bring changes to the area, including the potential loss of the “Love Letters” mural, which is expected to be covered by the new structure.
Eighty-one percent of active La Plata County voters cast ballots in this year’s general election, far exceeding the 77% turnout four years ago.
Results from the election spoke to the staying ideological diversity of the county’s voters, who demonstrated a willingness to split the ticket between parties and break with partisan allegiances to support diverse candidates with whom they had a personal connection.
Matt Salka, a Bayfield Democrat, won a contested second race for a seat on the Board of County Commissioners. Durango Democrat Marsha Porter-Norton cruised to victory in her unopposed campaign for a second term.
It was a year to explore new horizons, at least in one regard, for La Plata County, which formally opened the doors on its new public health department on Jan. 1.
The department’s creation followed the statutorily protracted breakup of San Juan Basin Public Health, the district Archuleta and La Plata counties shared for 75 years, throughout 2022 and 2023. Headed into 2025, the department’s 43 full-time staff made up about 9% of the county’s workforce.
Clinic and water testing services were deftly handed off from one agency to another, the product of a year’s preparation; other transitions were rockier, including the 14-month process to find a public health director, which concluded in June when then-interim Director Tracy Anselmo was permanently appointed to the position.
After years of talking, planning and, well, waiting in the rain, La Plata County unveiled a $2.7 million weather radar system in October. The radar fills a black hole of sorts in weather forecasting that previously left Southwest Colorado without reliable weather forecasts.
Although some residents were thrilled by access to an accurate forecast (mobile applications are available on both Google and Apple platforms), its real purpose is to predict and better respond to emergency situations which can be caused or exacerbated by extreme weather events.
Gone are the days of “nowcasting,” County Manager Chuck Stevens said at the ribbon-cutting, when the National Weather Service in Grand Junction would call county officials and ask “We’re seeing some stuff out there – what’s going on?”
It was a long-awaited moment on Dec. 10 when Congress passed the Good Samaritan Remediation of Abandoned Hardrock Mines Act of 2024 bill.
As a result of years of pushing by lawmakers and stakeholders including Trout Unlimited, a bill allowing good Samaritans to clean up active draining mine adits without assuming liability for the site passed after some 25 years of trying. The law launches a 15-site pilot program over the next seven years.
“Superfund works really well for the worst cases and very unique cases, but it leaves 98% of the mines out on the landscape with no mechanism by which anybody can clean them up,” said Ty Churchwell, a Durango resident and the mining coordinator for Trout Unlimited.
The president signed the bill Dec. 17, and Churchwell said one of the 15 sites is likely to be in Colorado.
In a step toward actualizing an ethos of tribal sovereignty that seems to exist sometimes more in theory than in reality, the Southern Ute Indian Tribe in July took over administration authority of federally regulated minor air pollution sources.
The tribe already managed regulation of major sources of air pollution and air toxins.
“No tribe had ever taken this on before,” said Kyle Olson, tribal air coordinator with Region 8 of the Environmental Protection Agency.
In September, the EPA awarded the SUIT a $4.9 million grant to implement the program.
In the months that followed Tom Au winning the town’s mayoral election in April, tensions among town officials went from a simmer to a full-on boil. That resulted in some key staffing changes and wild accusations.
Town Manager Katie Sickles announced her resignation Oct. 1 in the aftermath of a motion calling for her termination.
Bayfield mayor pro tem Alexis Hartz faced calls for her resignation from about 50 Bayfield residents during the Nov. 19 town board meeting. She is also accused of confronting and trying to intimidate Bayfield resident Lucy Stewart in Stewart’s driveway on Dec. 4 over the letter calling for her to step down. Bayfield police served Hartz with a harassment citation ahead of an impending court appearance.
Multiple Bayfield homes and businesses are now completely wired into a new fiber-optic line for high-speed internet connectivity.
La Plata County Commissioner Matt Salka has led the continuing efforts to expand broadcast access across the area.
Clearnetworx was awarded the contract to install fiber conduit throughout the town. The network is designed to serve more than 1,400 homes and businesses in the Bayfield area.
Brenda’s Old West Cafe and The Pine Cone both assumed new leadership in 2024.
Brenda’s co-owners Brenda and Niel Hieb sold their restaurant, which opened in 1996, so they can retire. They sold the business to Durango restaurant Oscar’s. Oscar’s took over operations on May 1, which co-owner Kelly Bennett now oversees.
Elsewhere, Bayfield residents Wendell and Holly Heck took over The Pine Cone on Sept. 14. Former owner Tim Sapa, who first opened the Pine Cone in 2015, sold the restaurant to the Hecks before moving to Oregon to be closer to his children.
As we do every year, the Southwest Colorado community said goodbye to some extraordinary people: pillars of the community, smiling faces on the street and even unknown characters who quietly haunt the wilderness.
Bill Roberts, the former editor of The Durango Herald’s editorial page, died unexpectedly Feb. 8. He was 73.
Roberts’ tenure at the Herald endured 26 years before his 2017 retirement. During that time, he built a reputation as someone who dove deep to understand others and shirked the frenzy of partisanism in favor of practical analysis.
“He was a thoughtful observer of events and people and wrote in a clear and persuasive, understated way,” said Richard G. Ballantine, board chairman of Ballantine Communications, Inc., which owns the Herald, following Roberts’ death.
In July, La Plata County lost Dan Bender at 74. The 37-year veteran of the La Plata County Sheriff’s Office was instrumental in developing the agency's K-9 unit and SWAT team. He famously became stranded in a snowstorm in the San Juan Mountains during a search and rescue mission and narrowly dodged the shrapnel from a pipe-bomb explosion.
Karyn Gabaldon, artist and gallery owner of over 40 years, died at age 70 in September.
Her friends and family described the potter and painter as “a force.” She operated Karyn Gabaldon Fine Arts in downtown Durango for 44 years before her death.
In lieu of a memorial service, Gabaldon requested that people do something kind for someone else in her memory.
Prolific author and beloved Fort Lewis College history professor Duane Smith died Nov. 26 at the age of 87. Smith had a gift for transforming seemingly mundane topics into fascinating stories through his creativity and unmatched work ethic, one collaborator said.
“He was Mr. Durango during the ’70s, ’80s and ’90s,” said former colleague John Kessell. “He worked at Fort Lewis College for over 50 years.”
