Thanks, Black Hills Energy

I would like to thank the team members at Black Hills Energy for the excellent job they did in repairing our furnace during a very cold spell in February.

We have been enrolled in the Black Hills Energy Service Guard program for many years. This program offers service on selected equipment in our household. Black Hills Energy kept this program in place when it took over the company from the former Source Gas.

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In mid-February, our furnace quit working. When I called in for service, they arrived that same afternoon, Feb. 13. The service technician, Aaron Lee, showed up, introduced himself and was COVID-19 compliant in our household.

Aaron was able to diagnose the issue right away. He managed to get the furnace usable while he placed an order for the parts. When the partial order arrived, Aaron came back and installed the motor. On Monday, he sourced the backordered part locally and installed that part. There was still an issue with the furnace and the defective motor that was sent in the original order. At this point, the operations manager, Ryan Pogue, got involved. Aaron and Ryan made a great team, and our furnace was fully operational Feb. 16. This kind of hands-on attention was above and beyond, as far as I was concerned.

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Thanks to the Black Hills Energy support network and especially Aaron Lee and Ryan Pogue

Harley Stumbaugh

El Jebel

Vets home thanks

My father and I would like to express our profound gratitude to the staff at the Colorado Veterans Community Living Center in Rifle who have consistently offered my “Padre” the most exemplary tender loving care imaginable.

This facility abounds with earth angels who have proven to be above and beyond, year after year. Thank you, dear hearts.

Kat Sing

Glenwood Springs

Student meals thanks

This is a very belated “thank-you.” With everything in the past year, I forgot to thank the people who helped in the beginning and continue to help. When school was abruptly ended in March, a few of us realized that the kids depended on their free lunches, knowing that the district was working on it, but it would take a bit to organize.

Megan Morzenti-Truelove for delivery, storage and organization; Heather Hill; and many businesses worked hard to supply our kiddos in Pinion Pines and Auburn Ridge food.

The Riviera provided around 100 hamburgers and salads. Heather made numerous trips to Costco at her own expense to pick up healthy food for our kids.

Pinwill’s frozen yogurt made many donations. Uncle’s Pizza gave so many pizzas. Please forgive me if I forgot someone, as there were many. We are so lucky to live in this community.

Christine Sullivan

Glenwood Springs

Camp doesn’t fit

Missouri Heights is a quiet and rural place — evident to anyone walking, biking or riding here ­— broad open spaces, extraordinary views, quiet roads. We cherish this pristine environment. The introduction of the Ascendigo camp will immediately and indelibly impact this tranquility.

For my wife and me, personally, it can be argued that the Ascendigo camp causes less obstruction than the White Cloud homes, because we face the western end of the subject property, where little development is proposed. That said, we still vigorously oppose the Ascendigo camp. We are not thinking just of ourselves but for our entire neighborhood and its future.

Most distressing is Ascendigo’s insensitivity to the surrounding population by selecting this location. This area encompasses wide open spaces, scattered with single-family dwellings, supported by private dirt roads. The intrusion of Ascendigo’s proposed facilities will instantly render this neighborhood unrecognizable from its present serenity. Ascendigo’s gross lack of consideration for their future neighbors speaks loudly to how they ever could be expected to honor their commitment to the reduced program in their recently revised application.

This selection is appalling and defies any rational acceptance by the county commissioners. We do not deny that Ascendigo provides an essential service, but it is unfathomable to expect it to fit in Missouri Heights today.

It is bothersome to see the officers of Ascendigo willing to spend $3 million before obtaining the county approval they need for this project. I have been in the real estate business all my adult life. Have contracted to purchase and sell similar properties, but such contracts were always conditioned upon securing the necessary approvals first. Ascendigo used a conditional contract in Emma — why did they not follow the same contractual procedure here?

Marcia and Don Flaks

Carbondale

Moved away from that

Many of us either grew up here and are witnessing massive change/growth or relocated to become part of a community that is very different. The people drew us in, the authentic and compassionate neighbors so good that we can live halfway across the country from family. This community is our new family. Many (letters) have been written about the dangers of Ascendigo moving into Missouri Heights, so I want to discuss the human component. This change in zoning will completely change the nature of why most of us have made this our forever-home.

Sound travels significantly here, and we all hear a dog bark at 1,000 yards. We’ve sought to escape the city lights and traffic sounds. It’s rural, and we appreciate the quiet.

To date, some 400 people have signed a petition stating this is not the right location for this project. Ascendigo: Why not find a location where there will be no opposition, only happiness for your business? This isn’t the first location you’ve attempted. Previous residents also successfully pointed out the stark inappropriateness of a commercial campus in a residential neighborhood.

The appropriate location is closer to heavily used emergency services/amenities and designated for commercial/mixed use, like on the valley floor. If we lose the magic that makes our beautiful community special, then it won’t just be the people in Missouri Heights that are driven out. This town will be one step closer to the rest of America struggling with how to love their neighbors like themselves. Please do the right thing. The vast majority of your neighbors are telling you that we oppose this.

We’ve come together to say no (KeepMoHRural.com). Despite the important work that you do, this is the wrong location for this project. Please listen to the protests and reconsider.

Natasha Soby

Carbondale