Landscaping in Windsor, CO

The historic Windsor Mill, owned for nearly a decade by Blue Ocean Enterprises — the real estate arm of Otter Products founders Curt and Nancy Richardson — is being sold to a newly formed limited liability company, Nothin Fncy LLC, which lists an Evans address.

Windsor's town board on Monday unanimously approved an agreement with Nothin Fncy and the Downtown Development Alliance to transfer a 2018 facade easement agreement. Under the agreement, Blue Ocean, doing business as Old Windsor Mill, LLC, can't assign the facade agreement without prior written consent of the DDA and the town.

Nothin Fncy attorney Dan Sweet of Johnstown told the board the buyers are local "and are here to stay. They're not a conglomerate and have liaised with Blue Ocean" about the future. Their vision, Sweet said, "is consistent" with Blue Ocean's view and goal for the property. "They are grabbing the reins and running with them."

Nothin Fncy registered with the Colorado Secretary of State's Office in December.

The historic mill at 301 Main St. has had a fateful and unlucky history: Fire burned the mill in the late 1800s and a tornado ripped through its brick facade in 2008. Just as it was about to get new life, an arsonist burned it nearly to the ground in the early morning hours of Aug. 6, 2017. The case has never been solved.

The restored mill reopened in 2019 and has served as a catalyst for economic revitalization bringing residents and visitors to the east end of town. By all accounts, it has been wildly successful for its tenants: Windsor Mill Tavern, Peculier Ales, the recently sold Cacciatore restaurant and an events venue.

In 2014, a study commissioned by the then-named Downtown Development Authority outlined a $9.2 million project that envisioned turning the space into the home of a microbrewery, cafe, art gallery and other amenities.

Blue Ocean purchased the mill in 2016 — eight years after the tornado — and secured a $3.7 million incentives package from the town and DDA, including fee waivers, cash investments and shared tax revenue and public funding for public improvements such as roads and gutters, and improvements to the south, east and north facades of the building.

The 2017 fire nullified the financing and incentive agreement.

Fort Collins history:Do you recognize these Fort Collins sites on the National Register of Historic Places?

Blue Ocean, which initially considered creating a home for its Old Elk Distillery, decided to start over again — not with the same historical context, but with a modern architecture that pays homage to the past and looks toward a prosperous future.

The agreement got back on track with $1.84 million from the town for public capital improvements and facade improvements and allowed Blue Ocean to impose a 1% project improvement fee, which means customers at the mill pay an extra 1% on their purchases.

"I give (Blue Ocean) all the credit in the world," Windsor Mayor Paul Rennemeyer said. "Whatever they make, what they’ve done for downtown Windsor, it is worth it." Blue Ocean purchased three other sites in Windsor, all of which have been sold or are in the process of being sold, he said. The mill, the highest sales tax-generating business per square foot in town, was the only building that required incentives, according to Rennemeyer.

The Windsor Mill's history

Source: National Register of Historic Places

WINDSOR, Colo. — Any time it snows in Colorado, thousands flock to the mountains to hit the slopes.

But Saturday, the highest totals weren’t at any of the resorts you might expect.

Instead? Hoedown Hill in Windsor.

“It’s quite a blessing,” said owner Tyler Lind. “It just looks beautiful out here.”

Lind’s family recently opened Hoedown Hill after excavating the Raindance National Golf Course next door.

They used the extra dirt to construct a 135-foot-tall hill which now features multiple ski runs, a terrain park and a massive tubing hill. At 1,200 feet, Lind said they believe it’s the longest tubing hill in the country.

“Right now, we’re perfect,” he said. “This hill was made just for this.”

Saturday’s storm dropped just a few inches of snow in nearby communities, but Greeley reported more than a foot of fresh snow.

“I-25 was crystal clear, I was going 80,” said Robert Vickerman. “Then as soon as I turned on 34 to Greeley, it was just covering it. The plows weren’t even out.”

Vickerman took advantage of the fresh powder to hit the slopes at Hoedown Hill, where a rail jam competition was held Saturday afternoon.

“It is a destination now for sure,” said Christian Jorgensen. “It’s a wide open space that’s been turned into a slice of heaven where you can learn to ski, snowboard, tube.”

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Maidenhead United Women capped off a memorable weekend for the club as they came from behind to beat Torquay United Women 3-2 at the Devon County FA HQ on Sunday afternoon.

Ed Jackson-Norris's side failed to reach the standards they've set for themselves at times this season, but they dug in to claim all three points thanks to second half strikes from Jade Hockey and Trinity Esprit.

The victory moves the side to within two points of seventh-placed Abingdon United with three matches to play and breaks their record haul of points in the FA Women's National League Division 1 South West.

They'll look to register their fourth league win in five attempts when they visit fourth-placed Moneyfields this Sunday, having got the better of Swindon Town, Portishead and Torquay United in recent weeks.

In what also must be a first for the club, the men’s and women's first teams both won - with the Magpies men's team beating Aldershot 4-0 on Friday before going on to beat Eastleigh 3-2 on Monday. The women's development team were also victorious, hammering AFC Sudbury 5-1 with goals from Molly McKeever, Amy Norfolk, RJ Jauad-Taborda (two) and Anne-Marie Pejcic, while both of the club's Futsal teams also won this weekend.

Six separate victories over the Easter bank-holiday weekend.

Maidenhead were the better side in the opening 20 minutes in Devon, and they managed to get their noses in front when Izzy Stockton's cross was turned home for an unfortunate own goal. The visitors couldn’t build on it, however, as a defensive lapse allowed Torquay back into the game before a stunning second goal handed the relegation threatened hosts a 2-1 half-time lead.

The Magpies didn't panic however, and continued to work their opponents until they cracked in the 84th minute, when Hockey swung home a brilliant free kick to make it 2-2.

Then, just a minute later, Esprit showed terrific composure for a defender to slot home Maidenhead's winner and the visitors held on to match their male counterparts by registering back-to-back league wins.

Afterwards, manager Ed Jackson-Norris, posted on X: “Positive sign to be able to be below standard yet find a way to win. Finishers showing the strength of the group once again. Record points total, five wins and only losses to Bournemouth and Exeter in the last 10. Still three matches in the league plus a cup to play for.”

After Moneyfields on Sunday, the Magpies host Keynsham Town at York Road on April 21 before finishing their campaign at Southampton Women on May 5.

Speaking with Maidenhead's Neil Maskell after the final whistle, United's match-winner, Trinity added: “I was just out wide and I received the ball, and I just thought, I need to get this on target and check out the keeper, because we didn't really test her as much as we should have. But I just kind of hit it to the back post and it was good to see it go in.

“Jade hit a goal just before that from a free-kick and it was good to respond to go up 3-2. So, it was really good to get that goal in.

“I thought it was an ok game. We started off a bit slow in the beginning and we could have put in a bit more intensity to pick up our game. But second half, we picked it up and switched formations which really put them on their toes, and they didn't know how to deal with it. We really stepped up to our game and managed to level things up and then pulled off the win to get three points.”

A medical imaging manufacturing plant in Windsor will close and more than 200 employees will lose their jobs, according to Carestream Health Inc.

The radiology vendor company filed a Worker Adjustment and Retraining Notification (WARN) notice with the Colorado Secretary of State Monday announcing the pending layoffs.

"Carestream Health, Inc., ... has made the difficult decision to transfer production operations and close our facility in Windsor, Colorado located at 2000 Howard Smith Avenue, West Windsor," the company's notice said. "We expect to terminate the positions of at least 50 employees and almost all at this site."

Carestream is "a world-leading provider of medical imaging systems, non-destructive testing solutions, and precision contract coating services," according to a news release.

Company officials expect 210 current employees "will be permanently released from their positions as their duties come to an end."

The layoffs are expected to begin April 26 with 137 employees.

"This decision is the result of reduced production volumes in some operations, opportunities to streamline shipment between sites, and the high cost of the site infrastructure," Andrew J. Mathews, senior vice president of Operations said in a news release. “The Colorado site has reliably produced high quality products for decades. Our people have been dedicated and loyal employees of the company who demonstrate great pride in their work. It is important to emphasize that this decision is purely an economic decision, not one regarding the performance of the site.”

WARN is a federal requirement for employers when they plan mass layoffs.

"A small number of positions currently located at this site are expected to remain with the company," the letter said.

The company took over the former Kodak plant in Windsor more than 10 years ago.

According to Radiology Business, Moody’s downgraded Carestream’s credit rating in May, citing “weaker than expected” operating performance following its exit from bankruptcy in September.

The Rochester, New York-based manufacturer first filed for chapter 11 in August 2022, seeking to wipe out $470 million in debt, Radiology Business reported.

It announced the completion of the process a month later, emerging with a “strengthened balance sheet and enhanced financial flexibility,” the publication reported.

Company officials did not return emails seeking comment by press time.

DENVER — James Pantoja was right there.

The Windsor wrestler had a chance to tie it up late, but Pueblo East's Manuel "Pocky" Amaro held him off with a 4-2 decision to take the Class 4A 106-pound Colorado state wrestling title Saturday night at Ball Arena.

It was a defensive battle that often provided stalemates between two very evenly-matched competitors.

Trailing 3-0 heading into the match's final minute, Pantoja went on offense. He looked for any opening and ultimately found a takedown that made for a frantic final finish.

Pantoja was in position for a tying takedown, but the clock hit zero before he could finish the sequence.

Pantoja left the mat stoic as ever, flanked by coaches Monte Trusty and Ben Cherrington as the Windsor fan contingent applauded the effort.

Still, runner-up was a step-up for the Wizards' senior, who improved on his third-place finish last year by making the finals this time.

It would have been a perfect finish to a dominant state tournament. Pantoja reached the finals via first-period pins and another by 11-2 major decision.

Instead, the Wizards' lone finalist just ran out of time.

It's the second time in three seasons Windsor has left state without a title, a rarity for this program over the last 15 years.

Windsor finished third in the 4A team standings. That was tops among Fort Collins-area teams, including Poudre, which placed fourth in 5A.

Twice as nice:Poudre wrestling's Billy Greenwood, Banks Norby win Colorado state titles

Perez, Garcia-Salazar lead other Windsor podium finishes

The Wizards still left with plenty of podium finishes, five in total.

Evan Perez led the way at 190, battling back from a semifinal defeat to beat Jedrek Jurjovec in a second-period pin to win his third-place match.

Mead's Dalton Berg upset the Wizards' sophomore in Friday night's semifinals, a shocking result given Perez's status as a defending state champion and the top-ranked wrestler in his class.

Perez beat Falcon's Connor Heron in a major decision Saturday morning before leaving on a good note with the consolation win.

Moments earlier, Noah Garcia-Salazar dominated Mead's Carter Woods with a 14-6 win to also take third place in the 144 class.

Garcia-Salazar fell to top seed Jackzen Rairdon of Thompson Valley via semifinal pin on Friday night but responded with a win over Erie's Tyler Muir to reach the third-place match.

It's a strong showing for the sophomore, who will be among the Wizards' anchors over the next two years.

Two other Windsor wrestlers, Hayden Welton (132) and Cale Meuchel (215), battled through wrestleback brackets for fifth-place 4A finishes.

Welton won three straight consolation matches after falling in the quarterfinals, capped by a 5-3 sudden victory overtime win over Air Academy's Michael Saba.

Meuchel beat Longmont's Hunter Knight in a 5-2 decision after dropping his semifinal and consolation matches to Mead and Cheyenne Mountain opponents.

Here are some other notable local finishes at the state wrestling tournament:

PSD's Gonzalez takes third

PSD's Mariah Gonzalez tied for the district girls wrestling program's highest finish in its five-year history, taking third place at 235 with a second-period pin of Olathe's Lynessia Duran on Saturday afternoon.

After the final whistle, Gonzalez dropped to the mat and screamed in joy as family members and Stars coaches roared with her.

The sophomore wrestler won her first two matches in easy pins but fell to three-time defending state champ Ciara Monger (Calhan) in the semifinals.

She bounced back, beating Eaglecrest's Emma Roberts in a 9-1 major decision and then dominating Duran from the start for a bronze finish, two spots better than her fifth-place freshman showing.

Stars' teammate Aubrey First also found the podium, finishing fifth place in the 130 girls class.

First bounced back from losses to Mesa Ridge's Nevaeh Nomure and top seed Persaeus Gomez with a win over Lillianna Lopez (Pueblo Central) by pin in 1:14 to finish with a win.

Wellington's Gray lands program's first podium finish

In just the new school's second year, Wellington has its first bit of hardware from state.

Wellington's Tanner Gray took fourth place in the Class 3A 285 class, barely losing a 3-2 decision to Resurrection Christian's Will Reeves.

It was a knockdown battle between the Northern Colorado wrestlers, with Reeves leading early and Gray mounting a late charge.

Like Pantoja, Gray was in position for a late takedown but couldn't quite move Reeves before the buzzer.

Gray previously got revenge for his opening-round loss, defeating Liberty's Matthew Rodriguez-Ramirez to reach the third-place contest.

That capped a four-match run through consolations, also beating Forge Christian's Caleb Newhall, Coal Ridge's Bryce Bartel and Grand Valley's Richard Terrazas.

Fort Collins' Miller finishes 4th

Fort Collins wrestler Jude Miller just couldn't get past Ponderosa's DJ Wince at the state tournament.

Wince controlled the match and took third place at 150 with a 5-1 win over Miller on Saturday afternoon, dropping the senior Lambkins wrestler to fourth.

Miller also lost to Wince in a close 4-2 quarterfinal matchup on Friday.

He battled through consolation rounds, winning two major decisions and then beating Chaparral's Chase Bell 11-8 to reach the third-place match.