November – 2009 – Crestone Eagle

Drawing the line: Proposed $180M high voltage electric transmission line sparks controversy - November, 2009

by Ceal Smith

The visual and environmental impact of high transmission towers, like the one shown here, are one of the concerns raised about the proposed power expansion.

A proposed new high voltage transmission line between Walsenburg and the San Luis Valley is drawing fire from both sides of the Sangre de Cristo Mountains.
Communities and property owners all along the proposed 95-mile long transmission corridor are responding. The La Veta group POSSEE, San Luis Land Rights Council and Morgan family are concerned that the 150’ towering lines will threaten wildlife, public health, and rural sense of place values.
TriState and Xcel Energy have partnered to promote construction of the new double-circuit 230 kV line at their estimated cost to ratepayers of $180 million (http://www.socotransmission.com/). Since June, the Colorado Public Utility Commission (PUC) has gathered expert and public input to examine the need for the project. Numerous stakeholders and citizens have filed comments and testimony that can be viewed at: http://www.dora.state.co.us/puc/DocketsDecisions/HighprofileDockets/09A-325E.htm.
Currently, a 230 kV, 115 kV, and smaller 69 kV line carry electricity into the SLV from the Poncha Substation. The TriState Corridors Study concludes that the SLV is vulnerable to voltage collapse, should either of the larger lines go down.
Over 80% of the Valley’s electricity use is for irrigation agriculture. Voltage collapse and reliability are vital concerns to the Valley’s growers. At the PUC hearing in Alamosa in November, Rio Grande Water Conservation District Manager Steve Vandiver emphasized that it is “imperative” to have reliability of service to support the SLV’s 600,000-acre agricultural industry. SLV Water Conservancy District Manager Mike Gibson echoed Vandiver’s concern, as did Alamosa, Rio Grande and Saguache County Commissioners, who all spoke in favor of the new transmission line (http://www.alamosanews.com/v2_news_articles.php?heading=0&story_id=14829&page=72).
TriState’s Corridor Study concludes that, “a new line from a second source would provide redundancy [and] improve dependability and reliability of service.” The combined 640 kV capacity line—more than four times the Valley’s projected 155 MW electricity need to 2015—is their proposed solution.
The need for costly new transmission infrastructure is currently subject to much debate among energy analysts. A California law journal recently reported that despite enormous costs and inefficiencies, current rules “guarantee that utilities can charge ratepayers enough to recover costs, plus a 12 percent return on their investment”. “The incentives are all wrong”, says CA energy expert Bill Powers. “It’s a terrible way to make energy policy.” (http://www.callawyer.com/story.cfm?eid=905180&evid=1)
Long time resident and member of the ad hoc citizens SLV Solar Working Group, Claire Barker, agrees that energy security is vital but doesn’t believe the line supports a sustainable future. “This will not give us energy independence”, says Barker, “it will just increase our costs and the vulnerability that we’ve always had.” She explained, “What we need is an energy system that makes sense economically and builds redundancy and reliability locally.”
The TriState Transmission Corridor Study Area (you can download a detailed map at http://engage.edaw.com/socotransmission/map) contains two areas identified by the Colorado Conservation Partnership as critical to the conservation future of Colorado (see: http://www.keepitcolorado.org/). The Rio Grande River Corridor extends from Monte Vista, through Alamosa and south. The Sangre de Cristo landscape overlaps with the entire western half of the CSA. According to Colorado Open Lands, who holds 20 conservation easements in the CSA, the area is “steeped in history” and “encompasses some of the most spectacular views and abundant critical wildlife habitat” in the Country. COL is in “productive discussions” with Trinchera Ranch owner, Louis Bacon to place an easement on the Blanca portion of the Ranch.
Perhaps the project’s most formidable opponent is Bacon, who purchased the 170,000-acre Blanca-Trinchera Ranch in 2007. Bacon hired utility attorney James Dauphinais to represent Trinchera in the formal PUC proceedings. In a 45-page testimony, Dauphinais questioned the need for the project and TriState’s failure to examine less costly alternatives. Dauphinais alleged that TriState ignored “the potential to resolve the voltage collapse-related reliability issue [with the] addition of at least 150 MW of thermal solar generation with storage in the SLV.” Furthermore, he concluded, “the addition of a new 230 kV transmission line from SLV to the north” could be built for far less.
When questioned by the PUC, Department of Energy transmission expert Tom Darin confirmed that, “local demand-side resources and distributed renewable generation in the SLV could eliminate the need for the transmission line.”
TriState and Xcel have given little attention to the state’s mandate to “encourage local ownership of renewable energy generation facilities to improve the financial stability of rural communities.”
Saguache County Commissioner and rancher Mike Spearman, who supports the new line, commented in an interview that, “the County has taken the lead on a 100 MW solar facility that would be jointly owned through a SLV Rural Electric Authority.” The SLV Development Resources Group received funding for a feasibility study, but the “process has bogged down,” says Spearman, “we are losing our window of opportunity.”
The Rural Utility Service has ordered a full Environmental Impact Statement that will require analysis of a range of project alternatives. At a recent GEO meeting, TriState Public Affairs Manager Brad Jones reported that, “a proposed route has not yet been identified.” Route refinement with additional public review is scheduled for “early 2010,” the draft EIS “ in late 2010 or early 2011” and a “final decision in late 2011,” Jones said. If approved, the new line is expected to go into operation in 2013.
The PUC is accepting public input through Dec. 11. Mail written comments to: PUC, 1560 Broadway, Suite 250, Denver, Colo. 80202, or email to: http://www.dora.state.co.us/puc/pucemaildisclaim.htm, reference Docket No. 09A-324E.
Firestorm over Moffat principal ‘reassignment’ - November, 2009

by Sandia Belgrade
Nearly 100 teachers, students and residents attended the November 16 meeting of the Moffat School Board, many carrying signs protesting the fact that Michelle Hashbarger is no longer the principal. 138 residents had signed petitions of no confidence in the Superintendent. If people came hoping for some explanation of why principal Michelle Hashbarger is to be replaced, they received none. The lack of “official” communication has fueled rumors and taken a toll on transparency and trust. Teachers agreed to be interviewed for this article on condition of anonymity and it was from them, several Board members, and the dramatic meeting that some information has been gleaned.
The ignition point seemingly occurred when Superintendent Charles Warren, who has only been in his position since July of 2008, asked the Board to have Moffat School Principal Michelle Hashbarger, who’s been there for over a decade, step down and possibly be reassigned, supposedly on the grounds of “insubordination.” It was at that same meeting, in what may have been poor timing, the Board extended Warren’s contract two years and raised the Superintendent’s salary by $7,000. This situation has resulted in tension and an atmosphere of acrimony prevailing throughout the community.
A decision never fully explained
What was glaring to most people was that the Board seemed to make their decision quickly. People questioned if there was any investigation of the allegations. According to Hashbarger, no school Board member talked to her. Large numbers of staff and residents were also dismayed that there seemed to be no effort to bring in a professional mediator. There was also no clarification of the undefined “insubordination” fueling more speculation. Some teachers felt that at the October meeting the Board had ignored them because they had already reached a consensus, which seemed to disregard the stakeholders whom they serve.
Abundant praise for Hashbarger
It was surprising that no one at the meeting spoke up for Warren, and he never addressed the audience. What was evident was the predominant support and genuine respect for Hashbarger. Speaker after speaker spoke of her achievements. Several times there were standing ovations. Under her tenure with a Reading First Grant, the scores of the elementary grades increased from 50% proficient in 2006 to 89% proficiency in 2009.
One teacher, Helen Martin, spoke of the innumerable responsibilities of “our” principal, with posters delineating professional development for new teachers, data collection, instructional strategies, and a host of other duties which created a safe, happy environment that had earned her respect. The presentation left the audience overwhelmed with Hashbarger’s accomplishments. A feeling of loss was palpable in the room. Who could replace her? Mark Jacobi said “that kind of loyalty can’t be bought.”
The Board’s response
At the Nov. 16th meeting, the Board didn’t engage with those in attendance, making it difficult to know what these well intentioned volunteers were thinking, reinforcing the perception of a lack of transparency. It also caused a disconnect with those who were present. The Board is legally bound not to discuss confidential personnel issues, which accounts for their silence, but they did not reach out and show the concern many of them feel. In the days following this last meeting, however, several Board members clarified their views.
Hashbarger, according to some of the Board, was not happy with the choice of Warren and there was a climate of negativity against him from the beginning. Certainly it had been brewing for some time until it became untenable. When this reporter interviewed Warren, he said he was on good relationships with Hashbarger and the decision was based on school needs. However, Hashbarger and many teachers would not describe it that way. There may have been discussion of her being assigned to another administrative position, perhaps Elementary Principal. But apparently it was her choice to resign; She was not fired according to Michelle Olsen and Sage Godfrey of the Board.
Hashbarger told this reporter that she loved her job and the students, but she did not want to work with Warren. She felt that the Board sided with him and didn’t listen to her, and that Warren was not supportive of her. She stated she has done nothing to warrant this, but did not have the money to fight it legally. Apparently on the Friday before this meeting, the decision was finalized.
Other views
This has taken a toll on teachers as well as students. Many instructors cited situations where they have felt intimidation and an apparent lack of honesty from Warren. Many referred to the comfortable atmosphere under Eli Dokson, the former Superintendent. One thing that came up in interviews is the perception of what a school administration represents in terms of leadership styles: boss or servant? Hashbarger is a strong feisty woman who speaks her mind, and many believe there were irreconcilable personality differences.
Amanda Pearson, a Sagauche County judge, was upset at the effect of the situation on students. She said reformation in education was what Reynold Bean and Charlie Warren wanted, but she said it only works when the superintendent can get teachers and community excited about change. Pearson wanted the school to do what it is supposed to do: teach students.
Concerns over fiscal liability
Many are concerned about the fiscal state of affairs this incident has caused. Teachers criticized Warren’s request for additional compensation during an economic downturn. One presenter said the Superintendent’s pay increases alone over the past 16 months jeopardize the fiscal integrity of the district. To go from $73,500 to $85,000 is a 15.65% increase. Another teacher asserted that according Moffat Consolidated School District #2 Executive Limitation #EL-8: Compensation and Benefits which states the Superintendent shall not change his or her own compensation and benefits, except, as his or her benefits are consistent with a package for all other employees. But the teachers may only be getting a 1.2% raise of their base salary. In a memo from Warren to the Board, he acknowledges this Executive Limitation. Two teachers compared Moffat with other districts in the Valley, finding many of them had bigger populations, a larger tax base, and some of the Superintendents had more years of service, suggesting his pay cannot be commensurate with other districts.
There are other real concerns for the fiscal stability of the district. There are lawyer’s fees, Hashbarger’s contract has to be bought out, and there’s the cost of a replacement principal, money not budgeted for. And tragically at least 20 parents have said they will take their children out of the school. Since the school earns $12,000 income for each student, that represents a potential revenue loss of $240,000. Many said these losses cancel out the revenue Warren is said to have brought into the district. Karen Aker lamented that money is being spent on administration costs rather than programs.
The Board’s role, seeking improvements
Eric Frey, a spokesperson for the teachers, said that Sage Godfrey, President of the Board, took time to meet with him to discuss policy issues. His presentation concerned clarification of the Carver Governance and the updating of grievance policies. The present turmoil has raised concerns about how teachers could grieve against the superintendent. Bean clarified that the present wording means that a teacher can go directly to the Board if the grievance is with the Superintendent. There is no blockage. It was one of the few interactions with the Board.
Godfrey is concerned about what has happened and wants to give Warren a chance to turn it around. The Board, meanwhile, is working towards strengthening the high school program. While reading scores have jumped, math and science were not improved to a more proficient level. Warren, as a former science teacher of the year, surely wants more improvement in that area.
Matie Belle Lakish, the only Board member who voted against Warren receiving a two year extension and a raise, has resigned (for reasons not related to this controversty). Thus there is one at-large position on the Moffat Board of Education open.
The National School Boards Association articulated that the Key Work of School Boards is to provide a framework for raising student achievement through community engagement. The Board probably felt under attack at the meeting, but many felt they could have reached out more to the community present. They never showed their caring, and caring in a small rural district builds trust and improves learning as much as working towards test scores. One would hope that after the emotional storm has passed, they will reach out to constituents more.
Perhaps no one could foresee the chaos that would result: a school and community torn apart, an atmosphere of distrust, paranoia, and low morale—hardly conducive to education. As one teacher said, “it is certainly not what we as adults have modeled for our children. There is much reparation that needs to be done to put the school back together again. Warren must tend to building bridges and restoring confidence in him as a trustworthy, competent leader.”
Let the last words be those of a student. Bryon Miller feels the students and public are not getting answers, and the issue is being handled poorly. He has no trust in the superintendent or the process. He’d been informed that students couldn’t speak at the meeting, but was finally allowed to and summed up the situation when he reminded all the adults, “You’re here for us.”
Baca Home Tour 2009 - November, 2009

by Gussie Fauntleroy

Paul Shippee designed and built his house to take full advantage of the sun, with strong passive solar gain and active panels whose angle allows for optimal water heating in winter and summer. all photos by Dearing Fauntleroy

It was just a tantalizing tease of what’s out there, but the Baca Home Tour on Aug. 30 allowed a public peek into a few of the many Crestone area homes built with alternative materials, energy saving systems and creative, down-to-earth designs.
The Baca tour was one of three offered simultaneously during the 20th annual San Luis Valley Energy Fair. It featured five structures—four homes and a concrete vaulted book storage facility. Here are highlights from two of those homes.
Beauty and the Best (use of solar)
To forgo the generator as he constructed his off-grid home in the Grants, Steve Dossenback built a freestanding garage first. He installed his photovoltaic system’s controls and 16 batteries in the garage, and is moving them into the home’s utility room this fall.
Steve and Jill Dossenback’s cleanly laid-out, finely finished home is a 1,650-square-foot passive solar strawbale, which Steve designed. Paul Koppana of Skyhawk Construction served as consultant for the strawbale aspect and Jeremiah Bayes helped with the timber framing. Concrete floors and an interior adobe wall absorb and hold the sun’s heat and keep the home at least in the mid-to-upper 60s without backup heat, even through the coldest nights, Steve says.

Steve and Jill’s passive solar home and garage make a clean, aesthetically pleasing statement. The 8-panel, 1,440-watt photovoltaic system provides plenty of electricity.

A woodstove provides backup for cloudy weather. As an extra backup, Steve incorporated in-floor heating fueled by a Buderus instantaneous hot water boiler, which requires no storage tank and uses propane only on demand. Because the in-floor heat is needed infrequently, this was less expensive than an active solar system, he explains. For domestic hot water, the home has a Rinnai instantaneous water heater, also a highly efficient, tankless system.
With eight ground-mounted PV panels providing 1,440 watts in a 48-volt system, the Dossenbacks have all the electricity they need. “We have all the conveniences,” Steve says. That means high-rated Energy Star appliances, including a washer and dryer, dishwasher and garbage disposal.

Paul Shippee explains the controls on his drain-back solar hot water system during the Baca Home Tour. The system provides hot water for domestic use and in-floor heat.

But Steve and Jill’s home is about more than energy efficiency. Its clean design, fine workmanship and attention to detail make it a welcoming, aesthetically pleasing space. Among those details: diamond-finish plaster walls (with help from Bob Screws), which ended up with fine flecks of red, blue, and other colors in the plaster, an attractive—albeit inadvertent—touch.
Talmath Lakai of NewGen Energy helped create lovely dark concrete countertops; Steve built a gorgeous sliding, barn-style bedroom door of beetle-kill ponderosa pine; and Steve, whose business is Craig Electric, did all the home’s electrical work.
Look Ma: No tank!
Paul Shippee quips that his property is distinctive for the conspicuous absence of a propane tank. His home, high in the Chalets, doesn’t need one. Paul is a civil engineer who owns and runs the Crestone Solar School. He designed the two-story, 1,800-square-foot home to be heated by a combination of passive solar and active solar hot water for in-floor heat. Backup on cloudy days is a small woodstove into which he loads “a few wheelbarrows of wood” per winter, he says.
Beginning construction in 2002, Paul did most of the work on the house himself, with electrical help from Robin Blankenship, assistance from Michael Wasserman on the plumbing and solar system installation and some local labor. Paul chose a combination of materials for practicality as well as energy efficiency: rammed earth for the downstairs east, west and north walls and timber frame/glass for solar gain on the south wall. Upstairs walls are strawbale, to avoid the weight of rammed earth, and the downstairs floors are adobe.

Jill and Steve Dossenback in the kitchen of their PV-powered home. The kitchen features concrete countertops, adobe floor, fine cabinetry and Energy Star appliances. Talmath Lakai of New Gen Energy created the concrete countertops.

The highlight of Paul’s largely self-heating house is a well-engineered closed-loop, drain-back solar hot water system, employing seven roof-mounted panels. While some hot water systems avoid freezing by incorporating glycol antifreeze, the drain-back system uses water that drains each night into a 12-gallon tank.
The reservoir tank is mounted high in an upstairs closet, so it stays warm but the water has a short distance to travel from the roof. Each morning, the air in the collectors and pipes trades places with the water in the reservoir tank, and the water-filled panels are ready to warm up again in the sun.
The solar hot water system provides domestic hot water as well as in-floor heating. Another distinctive feature of Paul’s system is wall heat in the upstairs bathroom, where radiant tubing is embedded in the mud plaster of the bathroom’s north wall.
When asked if he’s pleased with the energy efficiency, comfort and functioning of his home, Paul gave the answer we would love to hear from all Crestone builders, designers and homeowners: “I wouldn’t do anything differently!”

Jill and Steve Dossenback and a friend in their Grants home (which at the time was awaiting final trim finish around the front door.) The interior adobe wall soaks up warmth from the sun and releases it at night.