Garfield County commissioners on Monday awarded over $34,000 in second-quarter discretionary grants to 10 local organizations, signed letters of support for improved Divide Creek Drainage irrigation infrastructure and more in their regular weekly meeting. 

Second quarter discretionary grants awarded 

County commissioners announced second-quarter discretionary grant awards Monday after listening to presentations from 10 applicants last week. 

“We can’t get everybody all that they want,” Commissioner Mike Samson said. “Those days are over, as we know.” 

$30,000 in funding is available to select applicants each quarter. This quarter, $2,500 was awarded to Colorado Mountain College, $3,000 to Roaring Fork Outdoors Volunteers, $5,000 to  Rifle Rendezvous Festival, $3,000 to Roaring Fork Public Radio, $3,000 to the Roaring Fork Youth Orchestra, $3,000 to the Three Rivers Little League, $3,000 to West Elk Trails, $5,000 to the Grand Valley Historical Society, $3,000 to the Roaring Fork Conservancy and $5,000 to the Middle Colorado Watershed Council.

The awards totaled  $34,500, meaning third- or fourth-quarter grant funding will be reduced by $4,500 to balance the annual allocation.

Letters of support signed for Divide Creek Drainage irragation project

Two letters of support for improved irrigation infrastructure in the Divide Creek Drainage System were unanimously signed by commissioners. 

The letters support grant applications for the Colorado River Districts and Bureau of Recreation WaterSmart that will help fund the project. 

Irrigation improvements in the Divide Creek Drainage System began in the fall with seven ditches that were worked on by South Side Conservation District and Farmers Conservation Alliance. The irrigation infrastructure is over 100 years old, and the seven ditches serve over 15,000 irrigated acres and 340 cubic feet per second of water rights, according to project representatives. 

Garfield County exempted from government regulation of massage facilities

In 2025, the state passed Colorado Revised Statutes Section 30-15-401.4 to prevent human trafficking in illicit massage businesses through licensing and finger-print based record checks of operators, owners and employees, according to the agenda item summary. 

County representatives determined that there are no massage facilities operating in unincorporated Garfield County, making the county exempt from the statute’s requirements. 

“There were three (massage) facilities that are outside the city limits, and each one of them are only a single massage therapist providing services out of their home or something like that,” Jan Shute, assistant county attorney, told commissioners. “Each of those massage therapists are separately licensed by the state and they have no violations on file.”

Contract awarded to Aspen Chef for older adult meal program in Eastern Garfield County 

Commissioners unanimously awarded a contract for no more than $180,000 to Alan Kokish, Inc., also known as Aspen Chef, for the older adult meal program in eastern Garfield County. 

Each meal will cost around $17, according to Sheila Strouse and Cimberlee Keesbery 

Garfield County is also working to find a new location for Carbondale meals so they can be scheduled on Thursdays, when Kokish can serve meals in both Glenwood Springs and Carbondale, preventing potential meal waste.

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