Monday letters: Libraries, Aspen traffic, veterans thanks and more
Aspen mayor should ditch downvalley dismissiveness
Aspen’s mayor should dial back his caustic dismissal of non-Aspen residents’ place at the table in planning a revised Colorado Highway 82 entrance to town.
He should also curtail his claims to speak for “this end of the valley,” when recent comments from Snowmass Village Council Members and Pitkin County Commissioners suggest otherwise (“EOTC wants to expand entrance to Aspen discussion,” Aspen Daily News, Oct. 25).
“The issue that I have with taking, let’s say, Glenwood Springs commuters and their view, and they say, ‘You know what we want, we want a four-lane highway, that’s what we want.’ Well, that doesn’t mesh up with the goals and the values of this end of the valley…,” Mayor Torre said at a recent Elected Officials Transportation Committee meeting.
County Commissioners Kelly McNicholas-Kury and Francie Jacober pushed back that the conversation should include the entire valley, since commuters will be the most impacted.
Jacober told The Aspen Times recently, “I do not think it’s fair for only Aspen to make this decision.”
In opposition to many of the Aspen City Council members, Snowmass Town Council members indicated their support for the “straight shot,” entrance to Aspen across a small portion of the Marolt Open Space, at an August meeting.
“It is the people downvalley that are going to be the most impacted by this, and for Aspen to listen to those voicers is good and appropriate,” said Council Member Susan Marolt (“Snowmass Town Council wants to enter the Castle Creek Bridge discussion,” Snowmass Sun, Aug. 23).
Bernard Grauer, Aspen
Western Slope Veterans Coalition thanks community
Every year the Western Slope Veterans Coalition partners with individuals and businesses throughout the region to provide support and resources for our local Veterans. We would like to express a heartfelt Thank Your to Alpine Bank for, once again, sponsoring meals for Veterans this past Veterans Day. This year, breakfasts were provided for free by Alpine Bank at restaurants in Eagle, Pitkin, Garfield and Mesa counties.
They consistently make it a priority to actively support a variety of programs that the Western Slope Veterans Coalition offer for our Veterans. Thanks go out as well to al the restaurants that participated in this event for their continued support. We were also honored by a wonderful and touching presentation by students at Glenwood Springs High School, recognizing the contributions of Veterans to our country. In addition, Dr. John Murray and the Murray Dental Group in Glenwood Springs offered free dental care for Veterans that day. We benefited from so many people contributing their time, energy and resources. We are truly blessed and grateful to have all of these groups on our team.
Jeremie Oates, Western Slope Veterans Coalition president, Aspen
Garfield County commissioners should stay out of library business
I would like to know where in the world does the GarCo Comms get the idea that they have any say into what happens at the Garfield County Library Board or otherwise. The library systems are funded by dedicated sales taxes and real estate revenues. I would ask the BOCC to stand down now and get their First Amendment breaking-nose out of the Library Board’s business.
John Hoffmann, Carbondale
Having it both ways on 2A
“Hypocrisy is the homage which vice pays to virtue . . .” François de La Rochefoucauld
Former Mayor and current Councilman Jonathan Godes has spent almost eight divisive years passing bad policy. Yet there he was in this newspaper, mendacious as always, equivocating about a tax he supported, opposed, and now supports? Or not? (Guest column: A necessary conversation about Glenwood Springs’ future, GWS Post Independent 11/18/24). I saw firsthand Mr. Godes’ disingenuous dealings with citizens as to 480 Donegan in West Glenwood, those acts alone should disqualify him from dictating policy to anyone.
Thus Mr. Godes’s Street tax column, disingenuous and filled with untruths, is little more than the homage of a soon to be erstwhile city politician. May his departure in the spring return some semblance of virtue to city hall.
Yours sincerely,
Tony Hershey, Glenwood Springs
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