DEL NORTE— Rio Grande County Commissioners opened their meeting last Wednesday, Aug. 30 with a few changes to the agenda. Commissioner Chairwoman Karla Shriver asked the board to consider moving the approval of the minutes from the last two meetings to the end of the first section of the agenda, which was passed by the other two members of the board, Gene Glover and Suzanne Brothel. Glover inquired as to why the meeting minutes were not up to date on the county’s website, to which County Administrator Roni Wisdom explained that the minutes were almost an entire meeting behind when being approved.
Wisdom commented that the website had been down for a short time as it was updated and that was also a reason some of the minutes were behind. Commissioners moved on to the next topic of discussion which was a written report from the Department of Social Services. In the report, commissioners were asked by Department Director Jody Kern to sign a contract allowing the High Valley Community Center to continue offering their afterschool program.
Commissioners took a moment to comment on the program stating that it has been an ongoing contract for the past nine years and is extremely beneficial to the community in Rio Grande County. “It is a worthwhile program that should continue for the benefit of the community,” said Shriver. The board agreed to sign the contract for another year without any hesitation or further discussion. The program is funded through the TANF (Temporary Assistance for Needy Families) program provided by the state and passed through the Department of Social Services.
Next in the written report was a request that commissioners allow Kern to attend the annual CCI conference. Commissioners agreed that Kern is the best candidate to attend the conference as most of the content discussed during the event pertains to the social service department and passed approval for her to attend.
Following the CCI request was a note that Liberty Mobility, which is a company that provides several types of transportation devices to handicapped and senior citizen consumers is working with the San Luis Valley Development Resource Group (SLVDRG) to provide transportation to people in the Valley who need transportation to and from grocery stores, the doctor or other medically-based needs and has taken the lead on the project. Kern said in her report that though SLVDRG was leading the project, the Rio Grande Department of Social Services is helping in any way they can to bring it to the area.
Commissioners commented that the program would be a great asset to the community and that they would continue to show support in any way they can. There are very few transportation options for Valley residents who are incapable of driving or do not have the means to have reliable transportation. More information on the program will be available soon.