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Wednesday, July 3, 2013 Volume XXVI Issue 12

Offi cials update residents on water problem

Events range from Apache dancers to fi reworksBy Forrest Hershberger News Editor The City of Sterling continues the tradition of the Heritage Festival on Thursday. The Fourth of July festival begins at 10 a.m. with an opening ceremony in front of the main entrance to the Overland Trail Museum. The ceremony will include the presentation of

fl ags, the National Anthem, a special reading of the Pledge of Allegiance, and a red, white and blue balloon launch. The opening ceremony will continue with the Dansa Apache dancers performing a dance in front of the main building of the museum. They will then lead a parade/dance to Heidi Park. The progression to Heidi

Park will offi cially begin the rest of the festivities. At about 10:30 a.m., the focus will shift from Apache dancers to Leo Everett and the Clear Creek Cowboys. Their two-hour show will include award winning cowboy poet Zeb Dennis. Dennis is a farrier, cowboy poet and host and producer of Colorado Cowboy

Live. In 1993, he left IBM for the ranch life and was voted the Aspen Lodge Entertainer of the Year in 2003. The Atomic Drifters will take the state from 1 to 3 p.m. with their traditional 1950s rock-a-billy style of music. The Atomic Drifters are known as “Denver’s premier hard drivin’, traditional rockabilly band,” according

to the band’s website. Atomic Drifters is a four-piece band that performs favorite rockabilly tunes of the 1950s. Meanwhile, the Prairie Pickers will be entertaining in the Courtyard Gazebo from 11 a.m. to noon, and Arden Fennell will be on stage in the gazebo from noon to 1 p.m.

Please See Fourth Page 16

Davis, Wilson make clothing connectionBy Forrest Hershberger News Editor When need comes, so does opportunity. A clear example is in clothing young children, and adults. The cost of parenthood keeps rising. From the moment of birth, styles, needs and fi t of clothes changes. From growth changes to variations in weight, parents are always in search of the best bargain for the home budget. Kim Davis and Bree Wilson, both of Stelring, have come up with an idea that could soften some of the pocketbook pain when seeking an outfi t that fi ts, or something more appropriate for a specifi c stage in life. Wilson has opened an enterprise focused on connecting people who have clothes they don’t need, and those seeking clothes that fi t. It is a clothing exchange, although there isn’t a requirement of leaving something if you get something. If you need it, and Sterling Style Swap: Community Closet has it, you can have it. Davis’ focus is more specifi c, helping new moms with maternity clothing and accessories for newborns. “It started because you lose weight, you gain weight. It is

Please See Entreprenuers Page 13

By Forrest Hershberger News Editor The threat of drought con-tinues to stress Colorado, including Logan County, while controlling wildfi res taps what water sources that are available. Still there are neighborhoods just outside of Sterling where water has encroached on basements, resulting in signifi cant damage. And so far, the reason why

is as elusive as the water itself. It did create problems such that homeowners contacted elected offi cials and state representatives in the summer of 2011 seeking answers. The Colorado Water Conservation Board requested funding from the Colorado State legislature for Sterling, as well as for studies to be conducted in Gilcrest and LaSalle. A meeting to update local homeowners on that

research was held Thursday to discuss conditions affecting neighborhoods in and just outside the western side of Sterling, including Pawnee Ridge and Country Club Hills. The water table has reportedly risen to the point septic systems have failed because leach fi elds are saturated. Many of the problems experienced by west Sterling area residents have been plaguing the homes since at

least 2009. Families have seen furniture and other household furnishings damaged in the high water. Some of the confusion is why the water table is apparently rising when Logan County is still experiencing a drought. The high water damaged part of Ponderosa Drive to the point water was pumped away to lower the water table. High water is still evident in parts of Country Club Hills.

“There is something in the system that is unique and causing this behavior,” said Ralf Topper, senior hydrologist for the Colorado Division of Water Resources. Topper said numerous data collection units have been installed to monitor water levels in the area. He confi rmed there are two areas defi ned as problematic: Pawnee Ridge and Country Club Hills.

Please See Water Page 29

Working under the context of entryway improvements, the Citizen’s Advisory Board is working with the City of Sterling’s Parks, Cemetery and Forestry Division to maximize the effort in beautifying the medians located along South Third Avenue. City workers have begin redressing the medians with mulch this year and now along with fresh mulch, 168 plants will be planted in the 12 medians along that stretch between Hamilton Street and Colorado Highway 6. (SPS Photo By Ken McDowell.)