Rural Development I
The members of the Glade Park Volunteer Fire Department are a great bunch of people saddled with some pretty awesome responsibilities. They provide a vital service to a growing community, and fund it largely with the best summer family entertainment anywhere.
They're trying their best to equip themselves with what they need to properly protect not only the beautiful open space of Glade Park, but also an increasing residential and recreational presence, as well as a good chunk of the Colorado National Monument.
They deserve an opportunity to be able to do that. As a community non-profit, they aren't eligible to directly receive grant monies from government sources like DOLA. They have to go through the county to act as their agent, which may place the county in the position of owning the fire trucks until they're paid for.
Trying to create a taxing Fire District may be more trouble than it's worth; the election process is cumbersome and sometimes expensive, and the assessed valuation of the properties in the district may not generate enough revenue to accomplish the needed end. Not to mention the need to elect a board, set meetings, and formalize an organizational structure that looks suspiciously like yet another layer of government. That's precisely what many rugged individualists find attractive about present-day Glade Park.
Bottom Line: If it can't be protected, it shouldn't be built. Development should pay its' own way.
Rural Development II
Ralph D'Andrea's take on the Gateway power line controversy conveyed the essence of the conflict and of the problem. You go, Ralph. A word of advice, though; leave the expletives at home.
For a lot of people the use of swear words, even in print, distracts them from the main point, and at times results in the vilification of the author, for better or worse. After some of the zingers Ralph delivered yesterday, you'd have thought someone would have called all persons involved in Mexican immigrant labor "illiterate peasants" or something. Oh wait, that one's taken.
Bottom Line: Development should pay its' own way. Without the resort property, as well as the Hendricks mansion that came before it, there would be very little need for a new
$3 Million power line down in Gateway.
Jack Broughton (a formidable manager) and Grand Valley Power should stand their ground.
Publication Review
After several painstaking attempts, I was finally able to magnify the article list of this magazine on a local home page, and did manage to get a sneak peek at some of this month's topics and issues:
Cover Story: A Terrible Thing to Waste
Can Back-In Parking and Roundabouts Cause Mental Illness?
Neo-Conservatism and Organic Brain Syndrome:
The Connection Revealed
Enjoy your weekend.
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