Meeker

State of Colorado considers closing of prison in Rifle

MEEKER — With the state facing a $604 million budget shortfall and looking for ways to save money, the Rifle Correctional Facility could be shut down and the property sold.
That means David Scherbarth of Meeker, who is associate warden of the minimum-security prison, and other staff would have to move on, if they want to continue with the state correctional system.
“I’m in a very precarious position,” said Scherbarth, who said he could not comment on his reaction to the shutdown. “What I can tell you, nobody is losing their job. They will be reassigned to other facilities.”
Scherbarth said “there are four staff from Meeker” who work at the prison.
No timeline was given for closing the facility.
“Right now, the timeframes are very tentative,” Scherbarth said. “It will be dictated by the inmate population.”
Sen. Al White, for one, would like to see the state reconsider closing the prison.
“I’m trying to get that reversed,” White, who serves on the Joint Budget Committee, said last Saturday while in Meeker. His district also includes Rifle. “If I can convince my colleagues it makes sense, we may do that.”
The Rifle facility is a 192-bed prison.
“We’re full right now,” Scherbarth said. “We’re typically full.”
He said he did not know how long it would take to “phase down” the prison.
“The biggest thing, we have to phase down our population,” Scherbarth said. “We have relatively high turnover rates, because the inmates are on the tail-end of their sentences. Our whole facility is geared toward pre-release. Our mission is gearing these guys to go out into the community. The problem with phase down is balancing (the prison population) with relocating staff, but we need to safely do that.”
He estimated the average stay for an inmate is nine to 15 months. He said the prison’s population would be gradually phased out.
“It will most likely be through attrition,” Scherbarth said. “We will have some inmates who aren’t eligible for parole, who will be absorbed into other facilities. We have other minimum-security facilities in the state.”
Scherbarth said the move to close the prison was a sign of the tough economic times the state is going through.
“We’ve never shut down a prison,” he said. “That’s a real statement as far as the state is concerned.”

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  • The 2024 Meeker High School boys basketball team held their awards banquet last week. Jace Mobley was named Player of the Western Slope League and all-conference, Ryan Sullivan all-conference, Jonathon Fitzgibbons all-conference, Ethan Quinn honorable mention all-conference, Jacob Simonsen honorable mention all conference. Mobley will play in All State games. Coach Klark Kindler was named Western Slope Coach of the Year. Left to right: Bryan Rosas, Simonsen, Quinn, Fitzgibbons, Mobley and Sullivan.
  • It's that time again! Another edition of great local news stories is 
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Rio Blanco County and the White River and Douglas Creek Conservation Districts are still asking for your help to identify additional hatch-outs of crickets so that control efforts can be put in place. The success of the program will highly depend upon local landowners and the public helping to locate crickets as soon as they hatch.  See last week’s paper for a list of ways to help or contact the County Weed & Pest District at 970-878-9670 or the Conservation District office at 970-878-9838 with any questions. Website: www.WhiteRiverCD.com
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The 2024 Meeker High School boys basketball team held their awards banquet last week. Jace Mobley was named Player of the Western Slope League and all-conference, Ryan Sullivan all-conference, Jonathon Fitzgibbons all-conference, Ethan Quinn honorable mention all-conference, Jacob Simonsen honorable mention all conference. Mobley will play in All State games. Coach Klark Kindler was named Western Slope Coach of the Year. Left to right: Bryan Rosas, Simonsen, Quinn, Fitzgibbons, Mobley and Sullivan.
The 2024 Meeker High School boys basketball team held their awards banquet last week. Jace Mobley was named Player of the Western Slope League and all-conference, Ryan Sullivan all-conference, Jonathon Fitzgibbons all-conference, Ethan Quinn honorable mention all-conference, Jacob Simonsen honorable mention all conference. Mobley will play in All State games. Coach Klark Kindler was named Western Slope Coach of the Year. Left to right: Bryan Rosas, Simonsen, Quinn, Fitzgibbons, Mobley and Sullivan.
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It's that time again! Another edition of great local news stories is 
🐰 Hopping 🐰 your way this morning! Catch up on everything thats 🐣 hatching 🐣 in Rio Blanco County this week.
Need a copy? Signing up is fast and easy! Visit our website at ht1885.com/subscribe to get a copy sent to your door every week! 
We appreciate all your continued support!
It's that time again! Another edition of great local news stories is 🐰 Hopping 🐰 your way this morning! Catch up on everything thats 🐣 hatching 🐣 in Rio Blanco County this week. Need a copy? Signing up is fast and easy! Visit our website at ht1885.com/subscribe to get a copy sent to your door every week! We appreciate all your continued support!
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Rio Blanco County and the White River and Douglas Creek Conservation Districts are still asking for your help to identify additional hatch-outs of crickets so that control efforts can be put in place. The success of the program will highly depend upon local landowners and the public helping to locate crickets as soon as they hatch.  See last week’s paper for a list of ways to help or contact the County Weed & Pest District at 970-878-9670 or the Conservation District office at 970-878-9838 with any questions. Website: www.WhiteRiverCD.com
Mormon crickets have hatched near Rangely. They were all sighted on BLM land north of Hwy. 64 near the junction of CR 96 and CR 1, down a dirt road near the Moffat County line. The picture shown was taken yesterday by Mary Meinen from Rangely. She says the crickets are about the size of a ladybug (less than 1/2”). Some of them are actually yellow in color but most of them are darker. They are milling around and getting ready to start moving soon. Note: Photo is not to scale. Rio Blanco County and the White River and Douglas Creek Conservation Districts are still asking for your help to identify additional hatch-outs of crickets so that control efforts can be put in place. The success of the program will highly depend upon local landowners and the public helping to locate crickets as soon as they hatch. See last week’s paper for a list of ways to help or contact the County Weed & Pest District at 970-878-9670 or the Conservation District office at 970-878-9838 with any questions. Website: www.WhiteRiverCD.com
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Black Sulphur Tavern held a grand opening and ribbon cutting for their new business at 364 Seventh St. The space has been renovated with several TVs and games and provides a fun, friendly atmosphere to watch your favorite sports team and enjoy a burger and wings. Owners Frank Maestas and Pat Maestas are pictured with their new staff and Chamber of Commerce representatives Stephanie Hanson, Trudy Burri and Margie Joy. Follow Black Sulphur Tavern on Facebook. Their hours are Wednesday and Thursday 3-9 p.m., Friday 3 p.m. - 1 a.m., Saturday 11-1 a.m., Sunday 11 a.m. to midnight.
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