The Health Services District gives emergency services back to our community

“It’s just the way we’ve always done it.” How many times have you heard this phrase in your personal life or maybe at your job? We’ve all heard it. While change is scary, it’s inevitable. Embracing change ensures forward mobility.

My name is Nichole Becker, and I’m running for the proposed health services district board. I’m a current resident of Dinosaur, and moved here after my husband accepted a Marshall position with the town. This is my community. I have a long history with emergency services, having spent time on patrol, as an EMT and a dispatch supervisor.

The proposed health services district would bring long-awaited expeditious emergency care to a community that for 10-plus years was forgotten by the county seat. Currently our services are graciously provided by Gold Cross out of Jensen in Utah. This is a 45-minute minimum response time for an ambulance service who are already beholden to their own community and over taxed. We shouldn’t be spreading the burden of supporting our citizens onto our neighboring state. This is our responsibility.

By voting yes on 6A and 6B, you are saying yes to an ambulance service run by a local board made up of members of the public who are passionate about their communities. You are saying yes to training and paying community members to staff local ambulances, allowing for quicker response times and monies returning to the communities.

Dinosaur recently held a community meeting with the task force. Questions and concerns were brought forth and answers were given. My opinion on the outcome of that meeting was that the citizens of Dinosaur want access to local emergency medical services.

The reality is the hospital no longer has the funding available to maintain an ambulance service. While other communities may think they are sitting pretty with their funding from the county every year, I’d ask you, if this proposal doesn’t go forward and you have to share that funding, what then? We have to find a better alternative. One that works for the entire county, not just the squeaky wheels.

This plan isn’t perfect and this board will have their work cut out for them. I’m prepared to do that work and bring a voice to my community who has been quietly neglected for too long.

Please vote yes on 6A and 6B with me on Nov. 2.

Nichole Becker, Dinosaur

A word from the Yampa Valley Adventure Center project leader

We all know our community’s near-term challenge of losing approximately 1,000 primary energy jobs from the scheduled closing of coal power plants and mines in the Yampa Valley. This would be like Denver losing approximately 100,000 jobs. I support efforts to help lead our community into a future of our own choosing. A future of a strong and growing local economy, full of life’s opportunities and joys for our youth, middle-aged and senior citizens. The editorial board’s words and vision in recent editorials align with my wife’s and my motivation for developing the Yampa Valley Adventure Center (YVAC) and Colorado Great Outdoors Experience/Museum & Hall of Fame (CGOE).

As all of us do, my wife Kerry and I asked each other, “What can we do to help our community?”

Part of the conservation revolved around asking ourselves where we want to retire. We want to retire to a community that has wonderful people that help look after one another; a community that has a positive can-do attitude; a community that has the opportunity to have a strong, growing and diversified economy; a community with cultural, educational and outdoor adventure opportunities for all segments of the population; a community with great health care; a community that has sidewalks and bike paths; a community that has a clean environment; a community with well kept homes with beautifully landscaped lawns; a community with friendly, locally owned businesses that take pride in their merchandising displays, their store appearance, and helping their friends and neighbors.

After we completed our list, we concluded we have most of that here right now. We Love Craig! We have lived here for 33 years. We love living here, and want to continue at least another 33 years!

We concluded we could help enrich our community by fixing up a nearly vacant old mall that is in a state of disrepair, create jobs, create business opportunities, and help diversify our economy. My dear fellow Craig and Moffat County residents, that is our motivation, pure and simple!

I want to thank the community for the overwhelming appreciation and support we are getting from the vast majority of our community, and also address the misinformed who propose no positive options or alternatives and who have posted negative comments on the Craig Press Facebook page about the project.

1. The YVAC and CGOE project is placing approximately $10,000,000 of Tax Increment Financing dollars into the hands of the Craig Urban Renewal Authority (CURA) for the public good of blight removal, job creation, business creation and local economic development and diversification. Stated another way, without this project or any other developers offering alternate projects, there are no TIF dollars created or available to invest in our community.
2. The private placement bond we are seeking from the bond market, that will secure the financing for a local bank loan, is just that. It is not a bond issued by CURA.
3. All current leases are being honored.
4. In my entire life I have never told anybody to go pound sand.
5. I am a devout Christian and member of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints and I would never defame the name of God.

My projects’ websites are http://www.YVAC.biz and http://www.coloradooutdoorexperience.org, which list my cell number and my email for anyone who cares to contact me and have an honest conservation.

I am doing a Public Facebook Broadcast this Thursday Sept. 30 from 6:30 pm to 7:15 pm. I’ll be reviewing the concept and details involved in this project. The link can be found on our Yampa Valley Adventure Center Facebook page.

With respect, Frank Moe