Great bouquet

Susan says that she “knows when something looks good.” (In Carbondale, Susan is All About Flowers and More, Feb. 14 Post Independent). She sure does.

On St. Valentine Day my husband always sends me roses. This year the roses were a Susan creation and were perfect: freshness, color, fragrance, greenery, and design. The arrangement is perfect without looking arranged. It has a natural look that I love.

Thank you Susan for the flowers and your talent.

Anne Baker

Basalt

Future HD57 Infrastructure

Running for House District 57 has meant a lot of driving up and down highways, county roads, and streets across our valleys. The scenery is breath-taking, but all is not well with our infrastructure.

Our highways are in dire need of repair and upgrading. Not only do we need to fill potholes, we also need to reimagine our highways to better accommodate commutes, and to invest in safety measures like guardrails and widened shoulders. The need for better lighting on many of the roads we depend on is evident. And as the recent elk crossings demonstrate, we need to build paths for wildlife so automobiles and animals alike can move around safely.

Given that our economy depends on transporting people and goods and channeling water, we have to spend our dollars wisely — from both the state general fund and the bipartisan infrastructure bill. Ensuring visitors can reach our valleys, farms and ranches are connected to markets, public transit systems like RFTA can grow, downtown revitalization grant programs are expanded, and our water systems are modern, efficient, and resilient will be crucial to HD57’s economic health.

Finally, cell service dead zones and slow internet connections need to be addressed. Every time I visit my parents in Silt, I wonder about the costs of these failings. Are students able to participate in virtual classrooms? Can local businesses connect and compete if they are stuck in poor service pockets? Colorado must be laser focused on expanding broadband and improving cell service.

And as we allocate infrastructure funds, we must demand Western Colorado gets its fair share and invests these resources thoughtfully. To move our district forward, our current representatives and those running for office — including myself — must ensure HD57 has the 21st century infrastructure needed to expand opportunity for everyone.

Cole Buerger, candidate for HD57

Glenwood Springs

(Read all of the latest Post Independent Letters to the Editor here.)