Good riddance, March. The wind was incessant and the average daily high was about 5 degrees colder than normal for the month. March did deliver 4.8 inches of snow but the windy conditions counteracted any good. NOAA forecasts for the next three months show temps slightly above normal and the precipitation below normal. In other words, warming into summer and dryness. Here’s more ahead of Peter Cottontail’s arrival for Easter Sunday:
1. The four-day school week
The Alamosa School Board this week will take up the four-day week school calendar and look at options provided by the school district’s calendar committee. Insiders say Option 1 and Option 3 appear most popular based on reaction from school district employees and families. If the school board feels Alamosa should be on the same school calendar as the Valley’s other school districts, then Option 1 is the choice, with the first day of school Aug. 15 and last day May 23. The Alamosa High graduation date on all three calendar options is the same – May 25. The winter break (Dec. 25-Jan. 4) and spring break dates (March 18-21) are also common on the three options.
One question the calendars don’t answer is the start and end of each school day. That answer, said Assistant Superintendent Luis Murillo, will come once a calendar is selected. Murillo said it’s safe to generalize that the school day will run somewhere between 7:45 a.m. to 4 p.m., mas a menos.
2. Universal preschool registration is open
So far 226 families across the San Luis Valley have registered and will take advantage of the Universal Preschool Colorado program, according to the Early Childhood Council of the San Luis Valley which is facilitating registration. Rio Grande County has 65 registrations and Alamosa County 53. Conejos, Costilla, Saguache and Creede also all show registrations. We look at the state’s new free preschool program for 4-year-olds with this report. It includes a Q&A with Bryan Lindert, who is coordinating the Early Childhood Council’s application process. Applications are still being accepted to fill the 500 slots available to Valley families.
3. Local builders will work under updated building codes
Nothing sexy about building codes, but nothing more important when you think about the construction of your home or the building that you work in. A cohort of cities and counties across the Valley is moving to adopt a set of uniformed building codes to meet state requirements under Colorado House Bill 22-1362. County and municipal governments need to adopt the updated codes by July 1 to be in compliance with energy conservation codes mandated under the state law.
The counties and cities are acting in unison so contractors and property owners have a set of uniform building codes that are consistent across the Valley. Like we said, not sexy but hugely important. Here’s the full story on what’s going on and why.
4. Ski Hi Stampede 2023 lands big country star
Carly Pearce, on the Billboard Country Music Top Artists list, will play the 2023 Ski Hi Stampede, organizers announced over the weekend via the Stampede’s Instagram feed. Pearce trends in the Top 40 of today’s country music artists and should draw fans from across southern Colorado and neighboring New Mexico. This year’s Stampede is slated for July 27-30. Pearce is to headline opening night. More information to come from the Ski Hi Stampede organizing committee.
5. Changing Alamosa City Council ward boundaries
The Alamosa City Council will begin to take up recommended changes to its ward district boundaries at its Wednesday evening meeting. The city has four city council wards and each would see boundary changes under a recommendation from city staff and a committee it worked with. In two weeks, April 19, the city council will hold a public hearing on the proposed boundary changes. Here’s the full meeting agenda.
6. Stephanie Cotter on The Valley Pod
In our podcast recording with Adams State’s Stephanie Cotter, we were struck by a number of things she said – from her sincere love for Alamosa, the Valley, and of course Adams State, to the fact she quit running in her early teens because she didn’t enjoy it and then found her way back to the sport and through Adams State and Coach Damon Martin built a drive and desire to be a champion.
We’ll have more to say on Cotter, who holds nine NCAA Division II titles, in a story this week as she and her Grizzlies teammates prepare for the outdoor track and field season and more national gold. But for now, enjoy the podcast. It’s one you should hear.
7. Speaking of running …
Tim Zhou was running his way through the San Luis Valley en route to New York City when we caught up with him on Sunday just outside of Alamosa. He made it to Antonito Saturday, and was planning a rest Sunday in Fort Garland before running over La Veta Pass on Monday and on to the Front Range and destinations northeast. He’s 22 and set off from Santa Monica, CA, in an cross-country running effort for VetPaw and its work in animal conservation and U.S. veterans’ issues. He’s running at a 35-mile-a-day pace, which should put him in NYC sometime around May 25. Good luck, Tim.
8. Enjoy the holiday
We’re off Easter Sunday and will miss you on Monday, April 10. Stay up to date at AlamosaCitizen.com
Top Photo: Jaymi Gile
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