by Carla Dolce
Huerfano County′s hidden treasures are not only something you might find in a chest buried deep in some craggy mountainside but something to look for in the subdivisions that dot our hillsides. Huerfano County′s people have a fabulous diversity of skills and talents not always as visible as the visual treasures we enjoy from mother nature. This is the first in a series of articles featuring a few of the many human treasures living among us. If you know someone with unusual skills or talents who would like to be featured here, please let us know or call Carla Dolce at 719-989-8933.
HUERFANO- Need paint? Get a great deal on recycled paint thanks to Dave Roberts. An artist and a recycler supreme, Dave has been in Huerfano County since 1980. While painting the world′s largest mural on the levee along the Arkansas River in Pueblo, Roberts was approached by El Paso County employees asking if he wanted to bid on some paint. Initially, Roberts thought they were selling paint. As it turned out, they were eliciting a bid for how much he would charge the County to take 12,000 gallons of paint off their hands from their household waste collection efforts. Roberts could hardly believe that someone would pay him to take paint that he would otherwise have to buy for the massive mural project. This was the beginning of one of Colorado′s largest paint recycling businesses.
About six years ago, Roberts passed the helm of his paint recycling business to Paint Recyclers, LLC in Pueblo where you can get recycled paint for a minimal bulking fee of $1-$2/gal. To get paint, call 719-240-0504.
More recently, Roberts has been busy turning a truck load of recycled barbecue-size propane tanks into sculptural pieces including the totem poles you may have seen on Walsen Avenue, as well as planters and birdhouses. He also acquired 500 bicycles which he is recycling into various sculptural pieces including a fish on exhibit at the Museum of Friends on Main Street in Walsenburg. To commission a unique sculpture, call Dave at 719-746-2076.
