Living in Rio Blanco | Meeker and Rangely 2020 - Magazine - Page 9
ANDREW SHAFFER
VISIT
MAYOR, TOWN OF RANGELY
I moved to Rangely in 1990 to attend Colorado Northwestern Community College’s Aviation Technology
program, graduating in 1992 with an Associates degree and qualifying as a Commercial Pilot and
Certified Flight Instructor. After working for the College for a year, I decided to live in Rangely and make
it home. I’d grown up in the small southeast Colorado town of Fowler, and something about this new
place felt comfortable.
During that year at the college, I was unaware of all that Rangely and Rio Blanco had to offer. Most people
who travel through here probably think what I did: “This is a small town that’s a long trip to anywhere.”
With Grand Junction an hour-and-a-half away and Vernal a good hour, they wouldn’t be wrong--at first glance, anyway.
A few people I met when I first moved here made a huge impression on me. They also showed me more about the character of the town. Jeff
LeBleu was one of those guys. He was like the buddy you grew up with--he showed me around Rangely, what it had to offer, and some of the
activities he enjoyed. With me being new to town, he was there to lend a helping hand whenever I needed it. I quickly learned that Jeff wasn’t
the only person in Rangely like that. In many ways, Rangely reminded me of home: everyone was friendly and knew virtually everyone else. As
the years passed, that never changed. In 1993, I joined the Rangely Fire Department to try to give back to the community. Now, 27 years later,
I am still doing what I can for this community because Rangely’s been such a great place to live.
“Way Outside of Ordinary” is on the welcome sign that greets visitors coming to Rangely. People interpret this slogan in many different ways.
To me, this goes back to how we treat each other as family and friends. It also means we can go rock crawling, water skiing, and OHV riding
before going for an evening big game hunt. There are very few places that someone can do that all in one day. And that’s just Saturday! On
Sunday, we’re headed to Dinosaur National Monument, looking at petroglyphs and then relaxing at the Recreation Center, swimming and sitting
in the hot tub. Keep in mind that’s just one weekend out of the month.
No, Rangely may not have some of the amenities larger towns do, but that truth creates opportunity, not lack. Planning, money saving and
shopping at town businesses--most of which are locally owned and operated--are simply what you do here. The guy you buy your auto parts
from is also the guy who buys you a beer at the local pub, then helps support the schools where your kids attend. People take care of each other.
Rangely is also fortunate to have some amenities most small communities would love to have, among them a nine-hole golf course, recreation
center, full-service hospital and assisted living center.
Jobs in Rangely mostly come from oil, natural gas, coal, the hospital, and Colorado Northwestern Community College. These sources have
had staying power: CNCC and the Deserado Coal Mine have offered consistent employment to the Rangely area for decades, and the Chevron
Oil Field Plant, just west of Rangely has been in production for over 60 years. Large natural gas fields to the south of Rangely and east,
in the Piceance Creek Basin, provide additional jobs. Since Rangely’s growth around energy extraction has placed us off the beaten path, it
is challenging to draw new businesses here. It’s a priority, however, to find new revenue sources and get creative in bringing new industries to
Rangely that can boost the economy during the downturn in oil and gas.
Rangely and Rio Blanco County are definitely “Way Outside of Ordinary.” For visitors, the slogan is a chance to look deeper than surface level,
to have experiences and make memories they couldn’t make anywhere else. For the community, it’s an invitation to keep investing in this place
they call home, to preserve what’s made living here worthwhile in the first place.
RIO BLANCO, COLORADO
9