Leadville, Colorado July 15, 2004 Edition • Front Page • Betty Jean Bond Burgess stands in front of Dexter Cabin in which her family lived during the summers from the 1930s to the 1950s. Her father was the last person to own the cabin before the Forest Service took over. Photo by Jenn Wian Advertise YOUR Cabin restoration under way at historic Business HERE! Interlaken Resort by Jenn Wiant Herald Staff Writer Built in 1895, Dexter Cabin still contains all of its original paint, floors, walls, ceilings and architecture, but it has been boarded up for years. Now, in order to make it suitable for visitors again, volunteers and the Forest Service are giving it a new deck, a paint job and a good cleaning. [more] Eating places usually pass inspections by Jenn Wiant Herald Staff Writer Health inspectors from Chaffee County Environmen-tal Health arrive at Lake County restaurants, child-care centers and schools unannounced every six months to check for health violations and compliance. “My job is to look at things that would make people sick,” explained Inspector Chris Manley. The health department has not shut down a Leadville food establishment since July 21, 2000, when Leadville Market Carniceria at 311 Harrison was shut down by the health department for about a week. Currently, Chaffee County Environmental Health inspects 39 year-round retail food establishments, 16 seasonal retail food establishments and five child-care centers in Lake County. It also performs environmental surveys of Lake County High School, Lake County Intermediate School and West Park Elementary School that look at the health and safety of the gyms, science labs and chemical storage areas. Other than restaurants, retail food establishments including the bowling alley, the Safeway deli, gas stations, Outward Bound, Ski Cooper, the Twin Lakes General Store, Mt. Massive Golf, the school cafeterias and the jail kitchen are inspected. Inspectors look for critical and non-critical violations. Critical violations include [more] For more news, - click on the"Front Page" link - here, or on the left sidebar above... July 8, 2004 Edition More Top Stories Interlaken buildings will be restored (continued from front page) The Dexter Cabin at Interlaken, although built by the same person and designed by the same architect, is not the same as the Dexter Cabin in Leadville next to the Healy House Museum. Three volunteer groups will work with architect Harrison Goodall over a three-week period in July to restore the cabin. They will clean out the bat droppings, replace the deck, re-install the windows, re-paint the house and contract out to have the roof fixed, said Goodall. Goodall, a former professor from Washington state, has been working on historic restoration projects for the past 35 years. He said Dexter Cabin is unique in that it was nicely constructed in the late 1800s and does not need as much work as other buildings he has worked on. Betty Jean Bond Burgess, who was a member of the last family to live in the cabin, said she also thought the cabin was “amazingly well preserved.” Burgess joined other locals Advertise YOUR in a visit to the Dexter Cabin on Thursday, July 8, three Business HERE! days after work started on the cabin. “It’s just thrilling to be here,” Burgess said. “I just love that they’re working on it.” Burgess still has some of the furniture that was in the cabin when she lived there, she said. She spent some time during the tour explaining to the Forest Service employees where things were in the house. “You don’t forget things like that,” she explained. James Dexter built Dexter Cabin in 1895 as a summer home for himself and his family. It changed hands several times until the last owner, Eugene Bond, bought it in the 1930s. The Bonds used the cabin as a summer home until 1950. Eventually, it was condemned and acquired by the Bureau of Reclamation. The cabin was moved 150 feet away from the shore of Twin Lakes so that the dam could be raised in 1972. Two years later, the Forest Service took over ownership of Dexter Cabin. Also in 1974, the cabin was named to the National Historic Register. In 2002, Colorado Preservation, Inc. named the Interlaken buildings to the list of the most endangered places in Colorado, and the Forest Service decided to act. Now, through a partnership between the Forest Service, the Rocky Mountain Heritage Society and Colorado Preservation Inc., the Interlaken buildings should all be completely restored within four years. Dexter Cabin was chosen as the first project because it was in the best condition and can be completed the most quickly, said Cass Cairns, public affairs specialist for the Forest Service. Goodall said the cabin will be completed by July 24. Terri Liestman, heritage program manager of the Forest Service Rocky Mountain Region, said the Forest Service is considering opening the cabin to the public as an overnight rental beginning next summer. All revenue from the cabin rentals would go back into maintenance of the cabin, which helps accomplish the Forest Service’s goal to own buildings that can sustain themselves. Although the building looks very nice on both the inside and outside, Liestman said it will always remain somewhat rustic, with an off-site toilet, no running water and no electricity. Liestman said the Forest Service is looking into installing a solar or propane energy system. Chris Kobylarz, a Twin Lakes resident who is serving as a boat shuttle for volunteers and construction materials, said he may offer boat rides for tourists who do not want to hike the two miles to Interlaken. Another public tour of the Dexter Cabin and Interlaken will take place on July 22. The tour includes a boat ride across Twin Lakes to the site and back, as well as lunch. Call 486- 0749 for details. Eating places usually pass inspections (continued from front page) things like hand washing, temperature, pest control, sanitization rinse and cross-contamination violations. Non- critical violations, which could lead to critical violations if not corrected, include things like cleanliness of food-contact surfaces and wiping cloths, food packaging, lighting, ventilation and building maintenance. Inspectors also look for safety issues that are trends throughout the building. The inspectors train the business owner about each violation and set up a timeline to have the critical items fixed. If a restaurant has five or more critical violations, the health department will re-inspect within 10 days. If the health department has to re-inspect more than three times in one yearly cycle, the restaurant is fined. Any restaurant that is fined more than twice in a calendar year can have its license suspended. Although this process makes it hard to shut down a restaurant for health violations, it is a better process than what existed before, Manley explained. In the past, inspectors told the owners how to correct their critical violations, but did not come back to check up on them until the next regular inspection. Currently, La Cantina is the only restaurant in the county to have more than four critical violations, said Inspector Ginny Linza. La Cantina was issued its second notification of non- compliance after a follow-up inspection on Oct. 27, 2003. Violations had also been noted at an inspection on June 19, 2003. If La Cantina is still not in compliance at its next inspection, a fine of $250-$500 will be assessed. La Cantina’s violations include temperature violations (food must stay at a temperature of 41°F or less, or 140°F or more), lack of appropriate food thermometers, lack of proper handwashing and cross-contamination of foods, said Linza. The inspector’s notes said the cheese, sour cream and salsa were too hot and the green chilies in the freezer were from an unknown source. The mop bucket was full of sewage, the bar soda gun holder was full of slime mold, and flies were visible in the kitchen and on the food. Also, the food thermometer gave an inaccurate reading. The other four restaurants to have more than four critical violations in the past year were Quincy’s, the Leadville Prospector, the Tennessee Pass Cafe and Tracks, said Manley. All four restaurants had fewer than five critical violations at their most recent inspections. When inspectors first encounter violations, they give the owners a warning. Violations at subsequent inspections start the civil penalties process, which includes fines. The restaurant cannot be shut down until it has been out of compliance during at least three inspections. “We try to work with them to improve the situation,” Linza explained. An inspector can shut down a restaurant on the spot under three circumstances: when the facility has no electricity, a sewage spill or no running water. Linza said several Lake County restaurants had health violations in 2002, but they are all back in compliance in 2004. Restaurants can have up to four critical violations at an inspection before another inspection within the same six month period is required. However, the owners must submit paperwork explaining how they fixed the problems. The most common critical violations have to do with hand washing and temperature of food, Manley said. However, “most restaurants in Lake County do well really,” he added. Records of all health inspections are available for public review at the Chaffee County Courthouse. Boy Scouts rescued from La Plata Peak by Jenn Wiant Herald Staff Writer Lake County Search and Rescue assisted in a rescue of 13 Boy Scouts and parents who were climbing a very difficult section of La Plata Peak when one Boy Scout had his jaw broken by a rock on July 12.