Pies for scholarships!
Dear Editor,
Please join us this Sunday for the annual Prime Rib Dinner and Pie Auction
This event is a fundraiser that will provide scholarships to Rio Blanco County students. This way you can directly support our graduates, and every dollar raised by the auctioned treats goes into the scholarship fund. We provide vocational and college scholarships annually, and this effort is a primary community outreach for all Masonic Lodges.
Please let us know if you are going to attend the event at the 4-H building this Sunday at 4 p.m. by phone or text at 970-456-3596
Thanks,
Steve Coley
Meeker
Follow up to the article on canine complaints
Dear Editor,
In the April 4, 2024, Herald Times, the article on canine complaints mentioned that there are no codes related to animal control in unincorporated Rio Blanco County. However, it is important to note that this does not mean that dogs should be allowed to bark uncontrollably and negatively affect their neighbors outside of town limits.
The Colorado General Assembly has found that “noise is a major source of environmental pollution which represents a threat to the serenity and quality of life in the state of Colorado” and acknowledges that “excess noise often has an adverse physiological and psychological effect on human beings” (Colorado Revised Statute C.R.S. § 25-12-101). As such, state law outlines maximum permissible noise levels in residential areas (C.R.S. § 25-12-103).
The law states that any noise emanating from adjacent property that exceeds the stated limits “shall constitute prima facie evidence that such noise is a public nuisance.” The law also provides that residents may bring an action before district court “to abate and prevent such nuisance and to perpetually enjoin the person conducting or maintaining the same and the owner, lessee, or agent of the building or place in or upon which such nuisance exists from directly or indirectly maintaining or permitting such nuisance” (C.R.S. § 25-12-104).
Violations “shall be punished as a contempt of court by a fine of not less than one hundred dollars nor more than two thousand dollars. Each day in which an individual is in violation of the injunction established by the court shall constitute a separate offense.” (C.R.S. § 25-12-105)
Furthermore, Colorado case law has established the definition of nuisance as “unreasonable interference with the use and enjoyment of property” and the Colorado Supreme Court has affirmed that the standard of nuisance can be met by either intentional or negligent acts.
Instead of having to resort to involving lawyers and the court system, the simplest and most civil solution is to be mindful of how your dog’s barking may be affecting your neighbors and ensure that you are appropriately and consistently controlling your dog’s barking.
Heather Sauls
Meeker
Thank you to Meeker voters
Dear Editor,
To the voters of the Town of Meeker, I would like to express my gratitude to those who voted for me in the municipal election for town trustee. I will do my very best to represent you as I serve on the board of trustees, it was very humbling to think that many of you believe in me. Thank you again.
Kathleen Sizemore
Meeker
