In Colorado, federal grants and contracts can be a useful resource when businesses, local communities and nonprofit organizations have efficient and effective access to them.

In the most successful instances, they have been useful in facilitating partnerships between the federal government and the private sector as we work together to build a strong economy in this state for the next generation.

In our state, when the process works right, federal grants have helped entrepreneurs develop ideas into reality, regional economic clusters grow, local communities build infrastructure and rural small businesses get off the ground. Many Colorado businesses have also benefited from federal contracts that help create jobs and boost local economies.

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When I travel the state, I hear from Coloradans who have had both positive and negative experiences with the federal grants and contracting processes. I’d like to work to make the process more effective and efficient for all Coloradans who apply, and I’m asking for your feedback.

I have launched two online surveys to gather more information about how the federal grants and contracting processes have worked for Colorado businesses, local communities and residents.

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I invite all Coloradans to share their experiences and identify ways to improve these processes through the surveys available on my website at http://bennet.senate.gov/federalgrants/ and http://bennet.senate.gov/federalcontracting/.

I hope these surveys can serve as the basis for a deeper discussion about how to make the federal grants and contracts processes as efficient as possible.

U.S. Sen. Michael F. Bennet

Denver

The annual Antero Community Meeting will be held at 6:30 p.m. on Wednesday, Feb. 8, at the Silt Fire Station. Representatives from Antero Resources will meet with the public to discuss future drilling plans and answer questions and concerns.

I urge my fellow citizens to please turn out for this meeting, regardless of the extremely short notice, which was just announced at the EAB meeting on Feb. 2.

Please remember, last October Antero Resources announced a comprehensive drilling plan for an 8,200-acre area known as the South Gravel Trend, which parallels the southern boundary of the town of Silt. The plan calls for the construction of 21 new well pads, potential expansion of 41 existing well pads, and the drilling of up to 850 new wells from those pads over the course of six years. Even though the plan was shelved and the application pulled from the COGCC website in November, those actions represent a temporary delay.

We need to show up and let Antero know we care about the future of Silt, our public health and the environment. Be there.

Peggy Tibbetts

Silt

Based on the numbers reported in the Post Independent, the Say Yes to Carbondale group spent $67.47 for each of their “yes” votes for the Village at Crystal River.

The Locals for Smarter Growth spent $5.46 for each “no” vote.

Not only did the developer pay too much for the property, he paid too much for votes, too.

Craig Silberman

Redstone