Volunteer says privileges revoked at animal shelter
Dear Editor,
I knew that there would be repercussions for posting pictures of the [Rangely animal] shelter, yes, I did get called into the office and reprimanded. They decided to “temporarily revoke my volunteer privileges.” (The reason that I was given was because the employees don’t feel comfortable when I am there.”
I waited two weeks before reaching out to see if I could resume walking the dogs. Now I have been permanently banned from the shelter. The shelter dogs have lost their biggest supporter and liaison, they were my passion and I loved each one of them like my own. After two years of giving thousands of hours of my own time trying to be a support and partner with the employees, I have been thrown to the curb like used garbage.
I am a taxpaying citizen being banned from a municipality because of “preconceived and misgiven feelings”…this should upset every taxpayer.
I was hoping that others would step up and stand in the gap in the midst of my absence, but unfortunately no one seems to have the time or sees it as a priority; so now the shelter dogs have no one to consistently walk them, and the town has conveniently removed the “thorn in their side.”
They seem to have forgotten that as public servants, they work for us, not the other way around. If we allow this overreach of authority, we no longer live in a constitutional republic, we have a dictatorship. Is that what we want here?
So if you have ever thought about volunteering; please consider the shelter dogs. They so look forward to those short walks, it does so much for their mental stability and keeps them more adoptable. 8:30-10, 4-5 every day of the week someone should be there for public access.
Tammy Dahle
Rangely
Questions, concerns about veterans’ program resolution
Dear Editor:
My family and I have lived nuzzled into the patriotic little community of Rangely, Colorado, for approximately 13 years. What we have loved most are the incredible people who make up the community we love so much. Our family has been extraordinarily blessed to live somewhere that loves America and honors those who have raised their right hands to protect, up to and including laying their lives down for this great nation. As the proud wife of a combat veteran, my heart swells every time I drive down our little Main Street, seeing banners with the brave faces of our Hometown Heroes, including my very own hero.
This week I attended the Rio Blanco County Board of County Commissioners meeting on Nov. 14, 2024, and Commissioner Overton read aloud a resolution that caught my attention called “Project Green Light.” (At 1:59:04 of the live stream YouTube recording the resolution is read) I listened carefully as Commissioner Overton struggled to read aloud Resolution 2024-38, after Commissioner O’Hearon moved to approve it and the motion was seconded. Overton stated that, “Green Light is a project that supports our veterans (correct?) and showing that we appreciate them. We darn sure support and are behind our veterans and thank them so that’s why we’re doing this. Next year I think we’re going to try to get on this a little bit sooner and do the green light stuff. We didn’t find out about this until Jennifer brought this to our attention a little bit too late for us to do something, so next year we’ll get on the ball a little better, but we do support our veterans.” The county did use a template provided by the National Association of Counties (NACo) and added a moment of silence to be held in honor of veterans at the end of reading the templated resolution for Operation Green Light. Included in the resolution were various facts highlighted, like the sacrifices that have been vital in maintaining the way of life for our citizens, the various ways veterans continue to serve our community including veterans service officers in 29 states who help former service members access more than $52 billion in federal benefits each year, 44-72% of service members experience high levels of stress during transition to civilian life, and the BoCC believes recognition should be granted. It also read, “It is resolved by the BoCC that the designation of a “Green Light for Veterans County,” Rio Blanco County declares from November 4-Veteran’s Day November 11, 2024 a time to salute and honor the sacrifice of men and women in uniform transitioning from active services. Therefore, in observance of Operation Green Light, Rio Blanco County encourages its citizens to have a patriotic tradition to recognize the importance of honoring all of those who made immeasurable sacrifices to preserve freedom by displaying green lights in windows from November 4-November 12, 2024. Following the adoption of the resolution we will observe a moment of silence to honor and reflect upon sacrifices and dedications of our veterans, as well as ongoing service and resilience of all who have served in our Armed Forces. Thank you veterans.”
In an attempt to understand what Operation Green Light was, I asked if it gave funding to the VSO (Veterans Service Officer) to assist military members in their transition, referring to the resolution language “Veterans Service Officers help access $52 billion,” noting that it’s great to honor veterans. Commissioner Overton’s curt reply was, “We read it and there was nothing about funding. Rio Blanco County does not, you’ll have to check into that.” Commissioner Overton was in a hurry to move on after my question, and forgot to vote on this resolution which was passed, and followed by a moment of silence to recognize veterans and their services. During this moment of silence, I looked around and wondered to myself if this is genuinely how Rio Blanco County honors their veterans? My family and I have been to many venues honoring veterans as the heroes they are, and we have been grateful for the genuine and thoughtfully planned out ways to honor those who have vowed to sacrifice all. This was not at all what was expressed in the superficial and haphazard “Resolution” presented by the Rio Blanco County Board of County Commissioners. It seems the Commissioners are not familiar with the Resolution they passed, the dates intended to display green lights, the name of the actual initiative, nor its purpose. This shows no honor to anyone, and this veteran spouse was told to look into it herself.
Operation Green Light for Veterans (not Project Green Light), is an initiative put forth by the National Association of Counties and National Association of County Veterans Service Officers during the week leading up to Veteran’s Day where counties shine a green light to show support for veterans, raise awareness of benefits available to them, and a call for action on federal policies that support veterans and their families. The National Association of Counties states that “there is action needed to urge Congress members to pass the Commitment to Veteran Support and Outreach Act (H.R. 984/S.106), which would authorize federal funding to expand and strengthen County Veteran Service Officers. The CVSOs’ primary focus is helping veterans navigate the federal benefits system, and are funded almost entirely by counties, which creates challenges for areas with high demand or counties that serve veterans in rural areas. Local resource constraints can significantly hinder the ability of county governments to expand CVSO staff and services to sufficiently meet rising caseloads, resulting in long waiting lists that compound ongoing backlog issues at the VA. There is currently no funding directly available for CVSOs. The legislation for this Act would offer federal funding for CVSOs for the first time, authorizing award grants to expand and support CVSOs. The VA would award competitive grants to CVSOs through the states, to create, expand, or support CVSOs, prioritizing areas with high rates of veteran suicide, Veteran Crisis Line referrals, or critical CVSO shortages….Funding may also be used to hire a new or additional CVSO and provide technical and accreditation training for existing staff to serve veterans more effectively. Swiftly passing this bill will greatly increase access to the federal benefits our veterans deserve.”
Rio Blanco County has a large number of veterans who have previously served, as well as current Active Duty and National Guard military service members. The county website lists two CVSOs available by appointment only on Wednesdays 1-3 p.m. and Tuesday/Thursday 1-3 p.m. in Meeker and Rangely respectively. It is unclear to me if they are accredited, if not, the passing of the Congressional Act would be beneficial in the area of accreditation and continued education for local officers in addition to the possible funding Rio Blanco County Veterans could receive. Hopefully, the Rio Blanco County BoCC does not advocate for Congressional funding and veteran recognition as haphazardly as their resolution was proposed, read and passed for Rio Blanco County to be a “Green Lights for Veterans County.”
Sincerely,
Wendi Gillard
Rangely
