Work wrapping up at Santa Rita
Last week, in-stream improvements were completed on the City of Durango’s Whitewater Park, courtesy Bayfield’s F&M Construction. The two-week project was meant to fix safety hazards through the Whitewater Park that developed as a result of erosion and shifting rocks, according to Durango Parks and Recreation Director Cathy Metz. Although the newly grouted structures withstood last year’s run-off, some other features changed, creating entrapment and other safety concerns.
Work began Feb. 10 and wrapped up last week, with no expectations to return this spring. “The river is ready for the water to come up,” said Metz.
However, work does continue on the adjoining park and river trail. Crews from Animas Valley Construction continue to rebuild the Animas River Trail, which is currently rerouted around the south side of the Waste water Treatment Plant. The new trail, which will be concrete, will take a different route from the old trail and shift from the water’s edge closer to the Wastewater Plant’s fence. In place of the old trail alignment, which used to parallel the river, will be a soft-surface “crusher fine” trail.
In addition to trail work, crews are working on other “hardscape” projects, like the new viewing amphitheatre, a pavilion and tiered rock seating. Although the recent wintry weather has periodically delayed the schedule, Metz said plans still call for having work completed in time for Animas River Days, at the end of May.
In the meantime, she asks for ongoing public tolerance in the rerouting of the trail, which has become a bit difficult to navigate thanks to early mud season conditions. “We’re close to finishing,” she said. “We ask for people’s patience – they’ll be really happy with the new park and trails when we’re done.”
Study: Going ‘Local First’ pays off
A recent survey of business owners in the United States and Canada shows that independent business organizations like Durango’s Local First are making a positive change.
Last year, the Institute for Local Self Reliance (ILSR) and Advocates for Independent Business surveyed some 3,000 independent businesses on topics such as customer traffic and found that pro-local attitudes are growing.
“We have observed at Maria’s Bookshop that public awareness of locally owned independent business has increased,” said Peter Schertz, co-owner of Maria’s Bookshop. “Durango’s Local First organization deserves a lot of credit for that.”
According to the report, independent businesses in communities with an active “buy independent/buy local” campaign run by grassroots groups like Local First saw revenues grow 9.3 percent in 2014. This represents an increase in revenue nearly double what businesses reported in areas without such efforts.
The businesses surveyed on average had a 4.8 percent increase in holiday sales, beating out many corporate chains.
In addition to the increases in overall revenue, hourly wages paid to employees of local businesses equaled or exceeded those paid to employees of chain competitors. According to findings, 41 percent of employees at local businesses make between $10 - $15/hour, with 34 percent of these individuals making more than $15/hour.
In addition, nearly 70 percent of small businesses with an active independent business alliance or Local First-type organization reported increased customer traffic or other benefits from these initiatives.
Perhaps the biggest and most popular initiative of Local First is the annual “Be Local” coupon book, which offers deals and coupons at hundreds of locally owned businesses.
“Our ‘Be Local’ coupon book has been a well-received step toward creating our local-economy mindset here in the region, and we are so grateful to our community for embracing the message and ethics it embodies,” Local First Director Kristi Streiffert said.
Schertz also credited the attitude of the local community. “Like a lot of communities nationwide, Durangoans ‘get it.’ Our community understands and appreciates authentic and small scale,” he said. “Ultimately, the community benefits from supporting independent business as dollars recirculate and our quality of life increases.”
In addition to revenue, wages and customer traffic, the survey also evaluated the major concerns of independent business owners. This portion of the survey revealed that, to 71 percent of small retailers, the most difficult obstacle for their business was competition from the Internet. This was followed by the tendency of suppliers to offer better prices to the larger chains as well as competition from chains in general.
Local First, with more than 200 business members, plans to expand its efforts this year, Streiffert said. In addition to printing more copies of the coupon book, which typically sells out, and emphasizing local food in the annual “Eat Local Celebration,” the group will also be asking people to take the “shop local” pledge to shift 10 percent of their shopping back to local independent businesses.
For more on Local First, go to www.localfirst.org.
– Missy Votel and Philip Wiley