In order to get all the 2012 election letters in prior to the Nov. 6 election, deadline for all candidate or ballot initiative endorsements is Mon., Oct. 15. Letters will be run in the order they are received. Please email all correspondences to: telegraph@durangotelegraph.com.

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Rising home values not ‘good’
Dear Telegraph,
It is my observation that the editors at the Telegraph believe that an increase in housing prices is “good.”  An example would be when the housing market appears to “stabilize” this is met with a thumbs up in the Thumbin’ It section of your fine newspaper. I have a different perspective and opinion on this matter.

It seems that housing prices are incredibly and ludicrously inflated here in our town and maybe this is due to the influx of wealthy transplants and second homers (a moot point).  For the record I’m a transplant too. The only difference between myself and a wealthy transplant is that I moved here without money (a great decision). I’ve worked and played in this area enjoying all that Durango has to offer, and it has a lot!

My point is that why would a liberal rag tout higher home prices as positive? The answer must be that the editors feel that the majority of their readers have bitten the bullet and bought property and thus are hoping that the home values stay somewhat intact so they can be sold at a modest profit someday or maybe even get paid off and passed on to their children. It makes sense, I get it. My question is what about the rest of us? Are we supposed to move to Bayfield? Buy a trailer? Chronically rent? What about those of us who aren’t party-obsessed students but who haven’t signed up for a real career yet? It’s a question I ask myself all the time and I may have found a solution.

The living situation I’m in right now is awesome! It’s a large apartment building that’s been tastefully remodeled with loads of south facing windows and high ceilings. There’s a shared kitchen, chickens in the yard and a community garden. Sounds nice eh? Yes, it is nice, and I believe that it might be a way into the future for Durango housing. High-density, high quality co-operative living equals happy people. Now, if only the housing market would drop, then “we” could start  breaking ground on more co-operative style living situations and this would give many creative, hardworking folks the digs they deserve.

This is a conversation that I hope will be entertained by the citizens of Durango as well as the Durango City Council. If the conversation is already going, I would like to join it! Let’s get started on a creative 21st century housing solution and set the stage for generations to come.
– Nico Foster, Durango

(Editor’s note: Nico, thanks for bringing up some innovative suggestions for affordable housing, a problem that seems to have fallen under the local radar as of late. While we’re sorry that rising home prices may not be seen as good for those looking to break into the market, for the untold millions of homeowners who are under or barely treading water on their mortgages – including many in La Plata County who have seen values drop by as much as 40 percent –  rising values at least offer hope. Refinancing sure beats foreclosure in our book. But we’re still not totally convinced our money wouldn’t be safer stuffed in our Tempurpedics.)

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Tearing down the ‘Village’
To the editor,

 

Red McCombs is trying to push through a land exchange that would pave the way for a large commercial and residential development atop Wolf Creek Pass – the wrong place for development regardless of size.

 

Wolf Creek Pass provides critical wildlife linkage for species like elk, deer, bear and reintroduced Canada Lynx between the vital habitat to the south and the vast Weminuche Wilderness, the largest wilderness in Colorado. Together with the unroaded areas to the south, the two areas create a habitat that some speculate may be large enough to host grizzlies. A development that obstructs this key connective juncture is misplaced and misguided.

 

With the construction of a “Village,” Wolf Creek Pass will drastically change from an area that currently experiences seasonal activity related to the ski area and primarily during the day, to a year-round community of up to 1,711 residential units, 221,000 ft² of commercial space, a water storage and treatment facility, a waste water treatment plant, and a natural gas distribution facility.

 

Suffice it to say the wildlife, environment, riparian areas, hunting, fishing and backcountry recreation opportunities will be significantly and negatively impacted. And, imagine how it will impact the viewshed. Currently, people often stop to take pictures of this iconic landscape from atop the pass or on their way up the pass. A development of this size will mar that image and make our scenic part of the world look just like everywhere else. I don’t want to be part of a generation that only tells the next about the vast, dramatic and wild landscape that once remained unbroken near Wolf Creek Pass. They should have the opportunity to experience it for themselves.

 

I don’t begrudge an entrepreneur trying to make a living, but given the consistent public outcry over the last 30 years against this type of development in a fragile and ecologically imperative area, you think Red McCombs might consider building elsewhere. Many suggest that a development atop Wolf Creek is unwise and will not succeed for a host of reasons: too high an elevation; too much snow; too far from a major airport or other urban services; too much inventory in an already flooded real estate market in the area; etc. Unfortunately, if McCombs gets his way, by the time we figure out it’s a bad plan, the damage will be done—even a vacant village will impact wildlife, environment, wetlands, riparian areas, backcountry recreation opportunities, and so on.

 

Many ski areas in Colorado that have a “village” associated them are located closer to towns and are a more logical extension of growth and development (think Vail, Beaver Creek, etc.) Wolf Creek is located 23 miles from the nearest town (South Fork) and services. What makes Wolf Creek memorable is its remoteness from urban areas, the lack of roads, scenic vistas and the wildlife that call the area home. It’s the wrong place for a “village.”

 

Romney’s political gymnastics
To the editor,
Fox News recently aired a “very important documentary” on President Obama’s “radical past” associations with “Marxist Professors” and his plan to sell America “down the road of totalitarian socialism.” It’s nice that the Republicans have their own TV network.

 

But, of more importance:

 

1) Why does Mitt Romney keep his money outside the country?

2) Why does Mitt oppose affordable health care after providing it in Massachusetts?

3) How is Mitt able to quote statistics that apparently came out of a magician’s hat (yes, you’ll find his statistics have long ears and fluffy tails)?

4) Where did Mitt acquire his sophisticated wisdom on foreign policy (... seems to center on 1950’s western films and a shoot-’em-up mentality.  Maybe we haven’t already wasted enough lives and money on senseless wars)?

5) How does a man of Mitt’s height so easily put both feet in his mouth?

6) How can Mitt do both backward and forward ideological flips at the same time? Olympic quality gymnastics!

 

Instead of buying into the persistent accusation that Obama wasn’t even born in the U.S. and other notable legends perpetrated by the G.O.P – which doesn’t even seem to like its own Presidential candidate – let’s ask questions that matter.

 

It doesn’t surprise me that Fox News supplies an endless stream of campaign fiction. And the mentality of America is to embrace fairy tales, proven by its endless appetite for the junk that constantly airs on TV today.

 

Lachelt has all the right stuff
To the editor,
This is a letter of support for Gwen Lachelt, who is running for county commissioner. I have known Gwen for well over 25 years. I know her integrity, her intelligence, her commitment, her knowledge of the issues, her professional history, and her dedication and loyalty to her family and friends. These are traits I want in an elected official.

In her decision to run for county commissioner, she has prepared herself for the job and pledged herself to work for the people of La Plata County, and will listen to our concerns and opinions. Gwen will act in the best interests of La Plata County and the citizens after thoroughly listening and studying each issue coming before the county commissioners.

It is not often that I am so familiar with a person running for an elected office and am able to so unconditionally ask others to support that candidate. I do so now and ask you to help elect Gwen to be one of our new county commissioners.

– Pat Rustad, Durango