Having read in the Post Independent that Glenwood Springs was the slowest growing city in the area as though it was a bad thing, we the long-term residents, as opposed to resident boomers, think of it as being a success. I myself am not short on company and when we had a business, did fine without the hyper growth factor.

Our present City Council, most of whom rode in as Tea Party conservatives and stayed on, seems to think government is too harsh on business and needs loosening up. My opinion is opposite, and I think those folks act more for their own self interest rather than the general public good.

An example of that is the discussion to lower the tap fees for the apartments on the old Terra Vista Motel property. Having Schmueser Gordon Meyer engineers conduct the study to see if our tap fees are too high is like having a fox count your chickens. An accounting firm that specializes in municipalities would be more in order.

If I recall correctly, a former council gave the Glenwood Meadows shopping center developer 180 water and sewer taps in exchange for the land that the community center is built on. How does the loss of 180 water and sewer fee revenues increase the user fees for our residents over time, and is not the reduced water and tap fees for the new apartments furthering that loss of revenue that must be recouped from user fees?

I am not enamored with the current operation of our city. The snow removal was less than stellar and sweeping of the streets is somewhere in the future. Maybe the council should have looked into its purse before making plans for the new development at the confluence site as well as the new Sixth Street plan. Also, instead of giving CDOT $3 million for the new bridge, perhaps Council could have used those funds to take care of the city’s responsibility to its residents by concentrating less on commercial growth and focusing instead on the quality of life for the residents of this unique town.

Gregory Durrett

Glenwood Springs