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KSJD Newscast - November 16th, 2015

  • Montezuma County commissioners decide that the Four States Ag Expo is going to stay alcohol-free, and spar with a Forest Service official over the Dolores-Norwood Road.

The Four States Ag Expo is going to stay alcohol-free. On Monday, the Montezuma County commissioners gave a unanimous and emphatic no to the idea of beer sales at the annual gathering, which draws more than 10,000 visitors. Ag Expo board member Shay Allred had argued that the majority of the vendors he’d polled favored beer sales and it would provide much-needed additional revenues. The commissioners said they’d had calls from constituents saying the expo should stay dry.

Also on Monday, the Montezuma County commissioners sparred with a Forest Service official over a familiar topic: the Dolores-Norwood Road. The county wants control of the road, now under federal jurisdiction, and the agency is willing to grant it, but the two disagree on how to make the transfer. The argument has been going on for more than a year. Dolores District Ranger Derek Padilla said the county could quickly resolve it by accepting a 99-year easement. However, the commissioners are leery of a provision allowing the agency to reclaim the road, even though Padilla said he’d never heard of another case when it had done so. Commissioner Larry Don Suckla accused the agency of not caring about public safety because it won’t pay for unauthorized maintenance and winter sanding being done by the county. Padilla said when conditions are too dangerous the Forest Service just closes the road. The commissioners indicated their next step would be a lawsuit.

Gail Binkly is a career journalist who has worked for the Colorado Springs Gazette and Cortez Journal, and was the editor of the Four Corners Free Press, based in Cortez.
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