Habitat site objection

I attended last week’s Glenwood Springs City Council meeting to express my concerns about the selection of the location of one of the affordable housing projects.

The property on Eighth and Midland Avenue was purchased back in November 2005 for the purpose of taking it off the market to prevent it from being developed.

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This property was designated to be used for any future right away needs, or as a buffer for the Cowden area, which is already under stress for parking and entering/exiting the area.

Years ago, I appeared in front of council when the then city manager Jeff Hecksel wanted to sell the property to developers. I had to remind Jeff and the council why the property was purchased, and they promptly stopped the process.

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At last week’s meeting, one councilman’s answer before voting yes on the location site was yes it will increase traffic congestion, but that is just the way it is in Glenwood Springs, and we have to live with it.

Really? Will this be part of the new Comprehensive Plan that it is OK to ignore ways to prevent increased traffic problems because that is just the way it is? This brings up my objection with the council that they changed the name of future projects in this area from “The Confluence” to “Eighth Street Landing” to reduce the amount of public outcry.

Also, regarding other future projects in the area, the old water sanitation plant should be cleaned up and made available to the public, instead of fencing it off until a decision is made on its future use.

Don “Hooner” Gillespie

Glenwood Springs

Reelect Quinton for Holy Cross

Most folks in the Eagle and Roaring Fork valleys get their electric power from our community co-op utility, Holy Cross Energy. The “co-op” part of that means you, as a customer, are also an owner. And as an owner, you select the company’s leadership.

That leadership in recent years has led Holy Cross to become a national leader in not only clean, renewable energy but in reliable and affordable energy as well. That’s because energy — whether clean or dirty, renewable or fossil — has always been about economics. The best intentions of responsibly generating electricity are pointless if the dollars don’t pencil.

Holy Cross has already converted most of its energy sources to clean, renewable energy, and its goal is to achieve 100% by 2030, all with some of the most affordable rates in the nation. Converting the last parts of the grid will be the most difficult to achieve and will require not just deployment of new technologies, but creative and innovative financial strategies.

That is why I hope you’ll vote to continue Adam Quinton’s service on the Holy Cross board. Adam’s experience and expertise in finance and his academic background in atmosphere and environment ideally suit him for the needs of Holy Cross in achieving 100% renewable power, while keeping service reliable and affordable.

You can learn more about Adam at http://www.adamforholycross.com. Look for your ballot in the mail (this year with the ability to vote online), and vote for Adam Quinton to continue his leadership on the Holy Cross board of directors!

Matt Scherr

Minturn

Another for Quinton

This week members of Holy Cross Energy can vote for board members by email for the first time.

I’m urging you to cast your ballot for Adam Quinton, who has been an important part of Holy Cross’s remarkable transformation to clean energy, all while maintaining reliable service and affordable rates.

Adam deserves another term to help bring this nation-leading effort over the finish line, and he has the expertise, the experience and the drive to do it. Please join me in voting for Adam.

Auden Schendler

Basalt

Keep CORE Act momentum

I was enthused when I heard that the Colorado Outdoor Recreation and Economy (CORE) Act, the legislation to protect the Thompson Divide, received a markup and vote in the Senate Energy and Natural Resources committee last week. This is the furthest the CORE Act has ever made it in Congress, and I applaud the efforts of Sens. Bennet and Hickenlooper for getting us one step closer to permanently protecting the Thompson Divide.

The Thompson Divide provides important habitat for a variety of different wildlife species and supports some of the oldest ranching operations in our area. It is essentially important for our local economies and lifestyles and has broad community support.

I’m calling on Congress to listen to the voices of our community and pass the CORE Act.

Richard Vottero

Carbondale

Abortion insanity

At this moment in history, when the sheer weight of the human population is crushing the natural environment, the Supreme Court is thinking of removing women’s right to abortion. This would be silly and dangerous, because it will instantly incite one-third of the country against the other two-thirds, in a war. It will raise pregnancy related deaths by 33% in poorer populations while increasing that population. It reduces the availability of maternal health, family planning and contraceptives and deprives women of autonomy over their own bodies and possibly criminalizes them.

The World Health Organization says that outlawing abortions have never produced reductions of abortions in any country.

How can a group of old white men have legal standing to decree what only women do, in the privacy of their own health and well-being decisions?

Let the men first experience the huge physical and emotional traumas of giving birth or even the mother’s mandated nurturing and educating of that life, to the sacrifice of her own career and comforts, for 18 years in a wasteland of helpful social programs.

If men could get pregnant, abortion would be a sacrament.

John Hoffmann

Carbondale