Dear Readers, I ask you, where in our world could we find another special place like Rico? We are at peace here when it comes to severe earthquakes, and it has been over a hundred years since Rico suffered a truly disastrous flood when Silver creek became a roaring river because of a heavy rain in October 1911 up above Rico. Railroad cars were scattered down below Depot Hill and some homes were lost. The story goes that a poor soul who lost his family home stood on the banks of the raging torrent and shouted You have taken my home so why do I need these keys? and he threw them into the water!
We have mostly soft snowstorms and rain then the sky clears and we see the sunshine. In some states, gray days usually follow these storms. We have many assets. We have a totally respected and efficient Board of Trustees, a mayor, Town manager, Town attorney, an excellent Town Clerk, a great Town maintenance man and superb Colorado Department of Transportation crew who keeps the mountain and our Highway 145 in perfect condition, winter or summer. CDOT now has an avalauncher that is used to bring down dangerous slides lurking above the roadway as the snow keeps piling up. It was used late last week, as a matter of fact, to try to bring down Yellow Springs and the Peterson slide areas. We have the best Rico Fire Department/Search and Rescue team in our little Town. With the snow problems, mountain driving accidents, the public out in the snow with their snowmobiles and sometimes getting into some serious trouble, and hunting season where anything can (and seldom does) happen, I venture to add.
If you think that this all sounds like a fairy tale, it is not I say that with some reservation, of course. We need a few families with children to make Rico their home. We need more children to enroll in our excellent elementary school! It might mean a commute over the mountain to Telluride for the working family, but many of our working class do just that.
As a retiree, nowhere could there be a more perfect spot with the cool summers and a beautiful river with German brown, native cutthroat and brookies abounding in abundance if you are a clever fisherman, that is.
Dr. Gerald (Gerry) Griebel, a Rico citizen and active community member, has officially resigned as Director of Southwest Memorial Hospital in Cortez. He announced his retirement on February 2, 2012. Dr. Griebel graduated in 1972 from the Colorado University Medical School Denver. When asked what he might do with all this time on his hands, he replied that he has projects that he has put off doing for years and is anxious to get going on them! Wife Marilyn has not retired as yet, so plans in the future are yet to be determined. In the meantime, the Griebels will continue to support our Town in every way they can. Congratulations to our Gerry Griebel and we are truly proud of all he has accomplished during his medical career.
Marlene Hazen has lived in Rico for two decades. An active member of the community, she participates in organizations such as the Rico Womens Club and Rico Historical Society.