Yes to White, Marbury and tax

When it comes to City government and funding recreation, local voters gave their seal of approval Tuesday.

City Council incumbents Dick White and Sweetie Marbury both retained their seats for another four-year term against challengers Dave McHenry and Sean Waddell.

White garnered the most votes with 1,974 – or more than 27 percent – of Durangoans filling in their ballots in favor of him. Marbury was a close second with 1,938 votes, with McHenry amassing 1,799 votes and Waddell with 1,475. Nearly 7,200 local voters cast a ballot, which allowed for votes for two candidates.

Both White and Marbury expressed gratitude and excitement for the upcoming term when contacted Wednesday morning.

 “I’m excited and happy, and looking forward to going back to work,” said Marbury, a retired school teacher.

White said with the myriad issues facing the City Council – from Lake Nighthorse and the airport to sewer plant upgrades and affordable housing – experience will be key. “There’s a huge set of really big ticket issues we’re facing,” he said. “The fact that we’ll have the same council for the next two years without a learning curve will really help us progress on these things.” He also noted that the current council has a good rapport. “Even when we disagree, we work well together,” he said.

White, a retired Smith University professor, said aside from tackling the more pressing issues, he would also like to revisit the city’s Climate and Energy Action Plan, or CEAP. “I can’t wait for our council retreat. I hope I can convince my cohorts it deserves priority,” he said.

The plan goes hand in hand with the housing – another ongoing problem for the city. With the crafting of the city’s new housing initiative, he would like to see special attention paid to energy efficiency standards and incentives, affordability and sustainable transportation.

Marbury also touched on the housing affordability problem. “It’s really important to make it affordable to live here and have diversity,” she said. “It’s important not to price people out of the market so our kids can live here, too.”

And part of that equation is job growth, something Marbury hopes will result from the Wilson Gulch development at Three Springs. “It will mean more jobs and make Durango a regional shopping hub. It will also mean less internet shopping, which is a lot of money draining from the local economy.”

Marbury was also looking forward to a conclusion in the ongoing Lake Nighthorse saga sooner than later.

“The first meeting I went to for A-LP was in 1975,” she said. “Now, all seven partners are on board and some construction is starting this summer. I look forward to being on City Council when we cut that ribbon and getting out on Lake Nighthorse and having a picnic.”

The only other issue on this spring’s ballot was question 1-A, about extending the city’s half-cent sales tax for parks, open space, trails and recreation. The tax, which was initially passed in 1999 to help fund the Durango Recreation Center and Animas River Trail, was scheduled to sunset in 2019.

However, city residents voted by an overwhelming 69 percent to extend the tax another 20 years to help fund more recreational opportunities.

“I’m really happy 1-A passed,” said Marbury. “I look forward to hearing about the master plan and projects coming to City Council.”

For their part, both councilors said they look forward to tackling all these issues – and more – head on.

“It’s going to be an interesting ride,” said White.

City mulls permit parking plan

Whispers of parking garages still sweep through downtown, but without any concrete solutions on the table the City is looking at the possibility of permit parking along 3rd and 4th avenues.

It’s not the first time the idea has come up. Several times over the years, the city has been approached with the idea of residential permit parking along the historic roads.

Recently, the Boulevard Neighborhood Association, a neighborhood group formed in 1986, revived the idea. They requested a City Council study session on the topic.

And, they got it.

First city officials plan to host a neighborhood meeting on the issue at 5 p.m. Thurs. April 9, at the Carnegie Building, 1188 E. Second Ave.

According to a press release, they hope to find out what residents think about a residential parking program, which would cover East 3rd and 4th avenues running from 4th to 14th streets, and how it could work. 

The No. 1 focus of the meeting, though, is to give all the neighbors a chance to voice their concerns and offer their comments.

The study session is scheduled at 4 p.m. Tues., April 14, at City Hall, 949 E. Second Ave. City staff will present council with the input received at the neighborhood meeting.

After that, it could remain a viable topic for further council discussions, or it could go the way of the garage.

– Missy Votel and Tracy Chamberlin