Many Mesa County offices closed Dec. 25 and Jan. 1

Many Mesa County offices will be closed on Friday, Dec. 25, and Friday, Jan. 1, in observance of the Christmas and New Year’s holidays.

These offices will be closed both days:

• Animal Services, 971A Coffman Road near Whitewater
• Commissioners, Treasurer, Assessor, Surveyor, Finance, Administration, 544 Rood Ave.
• County Attorney, 544 Rood Ave.
• Clerk & Recorder (Motor Vehicle/Recording/Elections), Grand Junction, Clifton and Fruita locations
• District Attorney
• Grand Valley Transit
• Facilities and Fairgrounds
• Health & Human Services, 510 29 1/2 Road
• Hazardous Waste Collection Facility and Solid Waste Administration, 3071 U.S. Hwy. 50
• Public Works and Planning, 200 S. Spruce St.
• Regional Transportation Planning, 525 S. Sixth St.
• Resource Management, 544 Rood
• Sheriff (Records Division), 215 Rice St.
• Tri-River Extension, 2775 U.S. Hwy. 50
• Workforce Center, 512 29 1/2 Road

These offices have special hours on days surrounding the holidays:

• Hazardous Waste Collection Facility and Solid Waste Administration will close at noon on Dec. 24.
• District Attorney, 125 N. Spruce St., will close at 2 p.m. on Dec. 31
• Animal Services will be open from 11 a.m. – 1 p.m. only on Dec. 24 and 31.

These offices will be open both days:

• Criminal Justice Services, 636 South Ave.
• Sheriff (Jail, Patrol, Emergency Services), 215 Rice St.
• Sheriff (Alternative Sentencing Unit), 559 Pitkin Ave.

Public Works gives back

Employees of Mesa County's Public Works Department made Christmas a little brighter for 50 children in Mesa County this season.

On Friday, Public Works officials loaded 60 gifts - including five bicycles - into a trailer so they could be taken to the Salvation Army. The county employees participated in the Salvation Army's Angel Tree program, which asks those who can give a little to buy gifts for children in need.

This week in photos

Commissioners Scott McInnis and Rose Pugliese are shown greeting members of Sons of the American Revolution at Monday's administrative hearing. The Commissioners declared Tuesday, Dec. 15, Bill of Rights Day.

The Mesa County Commissioners stand with members of Sons of the American Revolution after proclaiming Tuesday, Dec. 15, Bill of Rights Day.

Garry Brewer spoke to the Commissioners after they proclaimed Tuesday, Dec. 15, Bill of Rights Day.

Assessor Patrick Green presents to the Commissioners at Monday's administrative hearing.

Jesse Redmond, Clerk Sheila Reiner and Amanda Polson at the State Capitol. 

Clerk Sheila Reiner and Deputy County Attorney Nina Atencio at the Colorado Supreme Court. 

Sheila Reiner and Jesse Redmond at the State Capitol.

Sheila Reiner and Amanda Polson at the State Capitol.

Local municipalities, land managers, non-profit agencies, CMU, private landowners and others gathered at Mesa County Central Services for the Desert Rivers Collaborative meeting. They discussed local weed and restoration projects, progress and plans. 

A meeting of Department of Human Services and Workforce Center employee representatives. 

Ashley Douglas and Felicia Holcomb on sports day at DHS.

Jacque Berry does sports day at DHS right down to her toes. Go, Broncos!

Jen Hume of DHS tops off her Broncos support!

Kathy Stahl of DHS even decorates her desk to support the Broncos. 

Mike Bradbury framed in snowflakes and paper chains.

April, Holly and Linda in the front office at DHS.

Mesa County Health Department clinic staff. Clockwise from left: Katherine O'Reilly, Mindy Christensen, Adriana Quinonez, Terran Biship (B4 Babies) and Kelsey Reddin.

New Grand Valley Transit buses are being outfitted with signs and lights to remind drivers to yield to buses pulling back into traffic. 

Clerk and Recorder staff. 

Commissioners approve purchase of tablets for Sheriff's Office

The Mesa County Commissioners this morning approved the purchase of new tablets for Mesa County Sheriff's Office deputies to use in their patrol cars.

The workstation upgrade will cost $255,670.

The tablets have been tested and approved by local MCSO deputies. Total, 65 will be purchased. The upgrade is the result of a year's worth of research, officials told the Commissioners this morning. The tablets are built to withstand extreme temperatures and should make it easier for deputies to take photos and write and file reports.

In other news, the Commissioners:

• proclaimed Dec. 15, 2015, Bill of Rights Day. Members of Sons of the American Revolution accepted the proclamation. 
• received an update from Mesa County Surveyor Patrick Green.

Yield to buses - it's the law!

A bus driver's most difficult task is re‑entering traffic from a bus stop.

To enhance the flow of traffic, improve transit reliability and make roads safer for everyone, Colorado in 2009 created the Yield to Bus Law. The law says motorists must yield the right-of-way to any bus with an illuminated turn signal and yield sign, allowing transit buses to merge into traffic from a bus stop.

Grand Valley Transit has installed a light on the back of some of its buses that flashes an illuminated “yield” signal. An accompanying sign says: “Yield to bus when light is flashing – it’s the law.”

Not all buses have this feature, but it is good practice for drivers to yield to buses regardless. As GVT continues to update its fleet, drivers should look for more of these buses out on the road.  

When a GVT bus signals its intention to re-enter traffic, all drivers approaching from the rear or in the lane adjacent to the bus are required to slow down or stop to allow the bus to merge. The penalty for failure to yield is a moving Class A traffic violation, punishable with a fine of $15 to $100 and driver's license points.

Use good judgment and follow these simple guidelines around a merging bus:

• Always use caution.
• Slow down or stop to allow the bus to merge back into traffic.
• Safely change lanes if you no longer want to travel behind the bus.
• Do not attempt to change lanes quickly to overtake the bus.
• Do not speed up to prohibit the bus or other motorists from entering the lane.

This week in pics from around Mesa County

Mesa County government continues to be a busy place. Check out the photos this week.

Below are four pictures from a recent Criminal Justice Services staff food drive (way to go!): 

The best elves! Treasurer Janice Rich, left, and Chris, Amy, Melinda, Deydra and Arna enjoy some Christmas fun on Tuesday evening at Dragon Treasure. 

Mesa County Animal Services Officer Armour keeps a kitten warm while she finalizes a report for the court. Cuddling with pets is definitely a perk of the job!

The following nine pictures are from the MCEA holiday social this week. 

The three pictures below show Mesa County Weed and Pest staff among others at the Colorado Weed Management Association conference. They toured Colorado Cellars and the Palisade insectary to learn more about different methods of noxious weed control. 

Mesa County updates Land Development Code to encourage economic development

The Mesa County Commissioners this morning approved four amendments to the county's Land Development Code. The amendments will encourage economic development by giving landowners more flexibility in how they can use their land. It falls in line with the county's Open for Business initiative and Developers' Bill of Rights.

After the law firm of Hoban & Feola issued a white paper on the county's land-use regulations earlier this year, the Commissioners appointed a focus group, comprised of business leaders and citizens from the agriculture, energy and development fields, to work with the Mesa County Planning Division to review the code, identifying areas of concern and, ultimately, drafting the amendments.

The Planning Commission also held several workshops, and the public in October was invited to two open houses.

The adopted revisions are intended to encourage business in the county by making the Land Development Code easier to use and reducing or eliminating conflicts with other regulations and policies.

"We want to provide clarity and conciseness in the code," said Linda Dannenberger, Mesa County's planning director.

Commissioner Rose Pugliese this morning thanked the focus group members and the Planning Division officials for their countless hours of work, over the past year, updating the code.

More work lies ahead, though, those involved said.

"This has been long overdue," said Don Pettygrove, a focus group member. "And we're not done. We just peeled away the first layer of the onion."

To read more about the changes to the county's Land Development Code, go here.