News highlights: 1996

By JoAn Bjarko
North Forty News

The Livermore Woman's Club marked its 100th anniversary with a new book titled "Among These Hills - A History of Livermore, Colorado."

A full-time town administrator, Kevin Burke, started work in Wellington on Feb. 5. One of his first jobs was to complete a new comprehensive plan for the town.

Troy Schnug of Wellington, Kurt Banks of LaPorte and Jeff Solbee of Redman, Ore., captured the world title at the Wild Horse Racing World Finals in Rapid City, S.D.

Wellington cancelled its April 2 election because four incumbent trustees running for office had no opposition.

After eight months of meetings, a county task force recommended creating a Rural Land Use Center that would offer an alternative to subdividing rural acreages into 35-acre parcels. Larimer County Commissioners adopted the new idea in December.

The Colorado Division of Wildlife closed its Watson fish-rearing unit in Bellvue in an effort to combat whirling disease. The fish hatchery, at another Bellvue location, remained open, however.

Independent Bank of Kersey announced in May that it would open a branch bank in Wellington. It opened for business in a modular building near the interstate on Aug. 12.

The Wellington Town Board approved a controversial sign ordinance allowing signs as tall as 60 feet in a designated highway service district.

Snowpack in the Poudre River Basin was 130 percent of the 30-year average on May 28, according to Todd Boldt of the Natural Resources Conservation Service.

The Waverly Community Center board gave up its lease on the old Waverly school effective Oct. 28, putting the building back under the jurisdiction of the school district. The district began using the site for its Teen Learning Program for students who do not learn well in traditional school settings.

Leigh Ann Boyack went to Botswana, Africa, as an International 4-H Youth Exchange representative.

Northern Larimer County had an Olympic athlete in Atlanta - Arthos, a 14-year-old approved Dutch stallion from Stonegate Ranch on North Taft Hill Road. Arthos competed with the show jumping team from Ireland.

Advocates for Responsible Growth of Wellington gathered enough signatures for a ballot initiative opposing the town's sign ordinance. The measure asked town voters if they wanted to set the maximum height for freestanding signs at 25 feet.

The North Forty News started its annual photo contest.

Stove Prairie School turned 100 years old. To celebrate the occasion, internationally renowned artist Richard Schmid produced a commemorative painting of the school. The school hosted a big birthday party on Sept. 28.

Poudre Wilderness Volunteers, a new organization formed to help promote wilderness education for those using national forest lands, wrapped up a successful first year with 110 volunteers who worked an equivalent of 678 staff days.

Tom and Mary Bender of Bellvue won the awards of Colorado Tree Farmers of the Year and Western Regional Tree Farmers of the Year. They were the first from Colorado to receive the latter award.

Wellington Heritage Writers wrote and edited a new local history book titled "History of Wellington, Colorado and the Boxelder Valley: 1864-1996."

A project to stabilize the historic Virginia Dale Stage Station started in October.

Election returns: Larimer County voters chose Republican Cheryl Olson of Fort Collins over Democrat Janet Duvall of LaPorte for District 2 county commissioner, and they chose incumbent Democrat Jim Disney over Republican Glenn Gibson, both of Loveland, for District 3 county commissioner. Voters soundly rejected a 0.43 percent sales and use tax to fund a county justice center, a jail expansion and several other projects. Voters in Poudre School District supported a 5.4-mill property tax increase to provide Poudre School District with an additional $5.96 million a year. Wellington voters upheld the town's sign code, which allowed 60-foot tall signs near the interstate.