You will need a group of self-appointed citizens who know what’s best for Glenwood Springs and want to make the most of it. That means make a profit center for out-of-city developers, and maybe a little money for yourself in the bargain. The city can have a little sales and property tax, but they certainly don’t need another park.

Then, you will need a few people on City Council to have some low-profile meetings and change the designated park lands so they can be pimped to a developer. Claim there is no money for parks, but quietly appropriate $300,000 of taxpayer money to clear off the site to sweeten the pot for the developer (more money will be needed to get it done). Try to get that misuse of tax money accomplished before anyone notices what’s happening. So much easier to sell a done deal.

Oops, you get caught before you have it all secretly ready for the developer. Now, stampede a Johnny-come-lately newspaper editor with no ties to the community and no knowledge of the city’s history on this issue to act as your mouthpiece and cheering section. Might have been better if he had acted like a newspaper man. Instead of becoming the front man for the scam, he should have investigated the machinations, checked in with the populace on their opinion and reported the true story to the public.

By check with the people, I don’t mean with things like the phony poll he put up two days after an alternative idea was proposed. I mean let’s have the whole operation out in daylight. Let’s follow the money.

Not only that, but the proposed project is an out-of-scale, view-blocking abomination in the great tradition of the Garfield County Jail. The community will have to look at it forever and lose irreplaceable park land. If you don’t understand the historical and social value of a river confluence, you need to do some homework.

R.W. Boyle

New Castle