Thumbs Up for School Hinsdale School District Voters Decisively Approve $3.9-Million Bonds as Part of $13.4-Million Community School Expansion

Cheers, tears and congratulatory hugs freely flowed in Lake City shortly before 9 p.m. Tuesday, November 6, with confirmation that Hinsdale County School District’s Ballot Question 4A had received decisive voter approval, 361 school district voters voting yes to the $3.9-million bond proposal and 193 votes against.
Hinsdale County voters in Tuesday’s election posted a phenomenal 85 percent voter turnout. A total of 589 mail-in ballots were cast in the election out of 690 active voters who were eligible to vote.
According to County Clerk Joan Roberts — who was unopposed in her re-election bid and received 506 votes, the highest vote tally of any local candidate — results of the November 6 election will remain unofficial until an audit of ballots takes place on Tuesday, November 20. The audit will be conducted by county clerk office staff and election judges.
In addition to passage of Hinsdale County School District’s bond question, voters in the South End of the county approved an ultimately successful Archuleta Joint 50 School District school bond ballot initiative raising property taxes in the South End of the County and neighboring Archuleta County, raising $1.7-million per year for seven years to improve Pagosa Springs schools.
Also approved by large majority was a Hinsdale County ballot question seeking to counter portions of Senate Bill 152 to allow greater flexibility among broadband and internet providers.
County ballot question 1A on broadband and internet “advanced services” passed in the affirmative, 502 yes, 61 no.
Hinsdale County Undersheriff Justin Casey received voter approved to succeed retiring Ron Bruce as Hinsdale County Sheriff. Running unopposed, Casey received 443 votes as Hinsdale County Sheriff. Casey’s vote tally was comprised of 425 votes from Lake City and rural portions of the county, and 18 votes which were cast in the South End.
Also running unopposed for relection were Hinsdale County Treasurer Lori L. Lawrence, 487 votes county-wide, including 20 from the South End; Hinsdale County Assessor Luke de la Parra, 467 votes, including 17 from South End, and Hinsdale County Coroner Jerry Gray,

497 votes, consisting of 481 Lake City and rural county votes, 16 South End, together with Hinsdale Clerk and Recorder Roberts, 506 (486 Lake City and rural portions of county, 20 South End).
Hinsdale County Commissioner District 2 candidate Kristine M. Borchers defeated her challenger in last summer’s Republican Primary and ran unopposed in Tuesday’s General Election to replace retiring county commissioner Cindy Dozier. Borchers received a total of 425 votes, including 12 votes from the South End of Hinsdale County and 413 ballots which were cast in her favor in Lake City and elsewhere in the county.

Cheers and group hugs simultaneously erupted among school board members and school staff who had huddled in cars outside the courthouse doors, as well as among a standing-room-only crowd of school bond supporters who had gathered at DeShazo’s Lake City Brewing Co. on Second Street.
Among those enthusiastically surrounding Hinsdale Clerk Roberts and her deputy Laura Palmisano as they posted the election results was Hinsdale School Board President Phil Virden.
Virden told WORLD, “The successful passage of Ballot Issue 4A will not only mean a better school for our students, it will be a facility which we hope the entire community will take pride in for many years to come. The school board looks forward to continue being the best stewards possible for Lake City and its school.”
Joining Virden in sub-freezing temperatures outside the courthouse was Hinsdale School Superintendent Rebecca Hall. “The dream to provide our students with hot lunches, home athletic events, expanded learning opportunities in a safe and secure school just became a reality,” said Hall. “The impact of this decision is far reaching and will be a sense of pride for our community for years to come!”
As now approved by Hinsdale County voters, the $3.9-million bond issue will be matched with $9.4-million from a Colorado Dept. of Education BEST grant and waiver for use in a $13.4-million renovation and expansion of Lake City Community School.
As detailed in meetings prior to the election, the school district’s architects, RTA Architects from Colorado Springs, anticipate completion of detailed construction documents by late April next year and ground breaking starting in late spring with completion of school classes.
Work on the remodeling and enlargement of the school would then continue throughout 2019 with the goal of completing the enlarged building prior to the start of classes for the 2020-21 school year.
Former Hinsdale School Superintendent Leslie Nichols, who is now Superintendent of Schools in Gunnison County, was among the celebrating throng after election results were posted. Nichols, who has long been an advocate for improvements and enlargement at the Lake City school, termed Tuesday’s election an “historic event.”
“The vote,” she says, “will have positive impacts for generations to come.”
“I love Lake City,” she enthused, “and am so optimistic for its future.”

Following is the official tally of Hinsdale County votes for all state, district and county candidates, together with the tally for county and school district ballot questions, constitutional amendments and statutory propositions:
District 3 Representative to the 166th U.S. Congress – Scott Tipton (R), 321, Diane Mitsch Bush (D), 211, Gaylon Kent (L), 10, Mary M. Malarsie (I), 16. (In the state, Congressman Tipton won re-election with 51 percent of the vote, 159,878, compared to 43 percent of the state vote, 133,345, for Mitsch Bush.)
Colorado Governor/Lieutenant Governor – Jared Polis/Dianne Primavera (D), 218, Walker Stapleton/ Lang Sias (R), 318, Bill Hammons/Eric Bodenstab (Unity), 1, Scott Helker/Michele Poague (Libertarian), 19. (State-wide, Polis received 51 percent of the vote, 1,000,016, compared to 44 percent for Stapleton, 871,534. A total of 1,938,314 votes were cast in the state gubernatorial race.)
Colorado Secretary of State – Wayne Williams (R), 324, Jena Griswold (D), 208, Amanda Campbell (American Constitution), 15, Blake Huber (Approval Voting), 3.(State-wide vote tallies on Thursday gave a 50 percent majority to Griswold, 975,248 votes, and 46 percent to the incumbent, Williams, 897,091 votes.)
Colorado State Treasurer – Brian Watson (R), 310, Dave Young (D), 202, Gerald F. Kilpatrick (American Constitution), 28. (Young received 963,098 votes state-wide, representing 50 percent, Watson 46 percent with 892,819 votes.)
Colorado Attorney General – Phil Weiser (D), 197, George Brauchler (R), 318, William F. Robinson III (L), 26. (In the state, Weiser received 952,325 votes representing 49 percent, Brauchler 47 percent with 910,430 votes.)
Regent University of Colorado At-Large – Leslie Smith (D), 188, Ken Montera (R), 291, Christopher E. Otwell (Unity), 7, James K. Treibert (L), 21. (Smith was victorious in the state, 50 percent with 926,988 votes.) Regent University of Colorado Congressional District 3 – Alvin Rivera (D), 178, Glen H. Gallegos (R), 288, Michael Stapleton (L), 33. (Gallegos victorious state-wide, 147,659 votes representing 51 votes cast.)
District 5 State Senator – Kerry Donovan (D), 232, Olen Lund (R), 309. (Incumbent Donovan prevailed in District 5 with 59.61 percent of the vote, 38,857; challenger Lund had 40.39 percent, 26,323 votes.) District 59 State Representative – Barbara McLachlan (D), 237, Paul Jones (I), 282. (Also an incumbent, McLachlan won in District 59, 55.99 percent of the vote, 22,768 votes; Jones garnered 44.01 percent of the district vote, 17,895 votes.)
Hinsdale County Commissioner, District 2 – Kristine M. Borchers (R), 425.
Hinsdale Clerk & Recorder – Joan Roberts (R), 506; Hinsdale Treasurer – Lori L. Lawrence (R), 487; Hinsdale Assessor – Luke de la Parra (R), 467; Hinsdale Sheriff – Justin Casey (R), 443; Hinsdale Coroner – Jerry Gray (Unaffiliated), 497.
Retain Supreme Court Justice Richard L. Gabriel, 304 yes, 110 no; retain Court of Appeals Judge John Daniel Dailey, 312 yes, 98 no; retain Court of Appeals Judge Rebecca Rankin Freyre, 292 yes, 118 no; retain Court of Appeals Judge Elizabeth L. Harris, 253 yes, 159 no; retain Court of Appeals Judge David J. Richman, 293 yes, 111 no; retain 7th Judicial District Judge Steven L. Schultz, 299 yes, 102 no; retain 7th Judicial District Judge Keri A. Yoder, 295 yes, 103 no.

Constitutional Amendment V (State Legislature Minimum Age) – 163 yes, 385 no (defeated state-wide with a 65 percent no vote, 1,231,300); Constitutional Amendment W (Judicial Ballot Format) – 234 yes, 270 no (state-wide, it was approved with 965,239 votes representing 53 percent of the vote.); Constitutional Amendment X (Industrial Hemp Definition) – 329 yes, 182 no (approved in the state with 1,098,264 votes, representing a 60 percent plurality.).
Constitutional Amendment Y (Redrawing Congressional Districts by Independent Commission) – 355 yes, 174 no (approved with 71 percent of the vote, 1,319,970 yes votes.); Constitutional Amendment Z (Redrawing Congressional Boundaries by Legislative Reapportionment Commission) – 348 yes, 178 no (also approved state-wide with 70 percent voter approval, 1,300,810 yes votes.); Constitutional Amendment A (Slavery/Involuntary Servitude Prohibition) – 271 yes, 269 no (state-wide, 64.99 percent approval, 1,208,438 yes votes.); Constitutional Amendment 73 (Sales Tax Increase for PreK-12 Education) – 214 yes, 336 no (defeated in the state by 55 percent with 1,045,104 no votes.); Constitutional Amendment 74 (Compensation to Private Landowners) – 296 yes, 252 no (defeated by 53 percent, 1,012,723 no votes.).
Constitutional Amendment 75 (Candidate Campaign Donations) – 170 yes, 348 no (defeated in the state by 66 percent, 1,220,534 voting against.); Statutory Proposition 109 (Revenue from Anticipation Notes Aiding State Transportation) – 168 yes, 373 no (also defeated in Colorado, 1,146,631 no votes representing 61 percent.); Statutory Amendment 110 (Sales Tax Increase and Anticipation Notes Aiding State and Local Transportation) – 231 yes, 319 no (defeated by Colorado voters 59 percent, 1,122,452 no votes.); Statutory Proposition 111 (Payday Lenders Limitation) – 399 yes, 140 no (approved
state-wide by 76 percent, 1,427,130 yes votes);

Statutory Proposition 112 (New Oil and Gas Development Limitation) – 210 yes, 340 no (Colorado voters defeated the measure by a 56 percent plurality, 1,085,506 no votes.).
Hinsdale Ballot Question 1A (County Re-Establish Right to Advanced Telecommunications, Cable Television Services) – 502 yes, 61 no; Hinsdale County School District Ballot Question 4A (School District Bonds $3,950,000 for Renovation, Additions to School) – 361 yes, 193 no; Archuleta County School District Ballot Question 5A (School District Taxes Increased $1.7-million Annually for Seven Years) – 15 yes, 7 no (passed by voters in Hinsdale County’s South End, the measure was also successful in Archuleta Joint 50 School District, cumulative vote 3,948 yes, 2,499 voting no.).