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Wednesday letters: West Glenwood development, Teitler for school board, and congressional redistricting map

City needs visionary planning

Regarding the proposed 480 Donegan development, at the last City Council meeting R2 Developers noted that their belief is the estimate of vehicle traffic is too high. While the developers stated the estimate was too high and their proposed population was not going to be too high, they also stated at an earlier time they were not in control of the number of occupants at the proposed complex.

Which is it?



Also, certain members of the City Council seem to accept the proposed street developments, yet nothing was said except by council member Tony Hershey about the lack of parking provided, among other issues raised. It seems street parking as proposed by the developer will negate any improvements and exacerbate issues raised for both normal everyday traffic as well emergency egress of the area, which has yet to be studied.

Comments made by certain council members like “just build on the valley floor” and maybe density is “just a little high” without concrete, visionary planning for issues like infrastructure, emergencies, water and environment well into the future seem premature and misplaced.



Then add the soon to be proposed development of the adjacent Glenwood mall property. And remember, the developer’s attorneys are also representing a separate client who wants to add 450 heavy truck trips per day to West Glenwood for the mine project. No one disputes the need for more housing in the area, but trying to fix 10-plus pounds (and counting) of sausage in a 5-pound box doesn’t sound like what the city’s comprehensive plan was calling for.

Carl Uyehara

Glenwood Springs

Vote Kenny Teitler for RFSD board

Kenny Teitler would be a phenomenal addition to our Roaring Fork School District board. 

His experience in our schools as an educator, his compassion and understanding for/of children and families of all cultures as well as his connection with the community after 26 years make him an excellent candidate.

School boards and education has never been as crucial in America as they are now.

Please consider donating to Kenny’s campaign at KennyTeitler.com, and vote for the November Ballot issue to increase teacher salaries. Find out more at WeAreRFSD.com

Carrie Podl-Haberern

Carbondale

Are we all the same?

Do congressional districts, as the Garfield County commissioners have suggested, need to be homogeneous? That’s what the Nairobi Trio is claiming in their complaint about a preliminary state congressional redistricting commission map that shows Congressional District 3 cut in two.

“One of the criteria for the redistricting is communities of common interest,” Commissioner John Martin said.

Says who? I got news for you John, I’m a resident of Garfield County’s District One and I don’t feel represented by you or any of your sidekicks, including Tom Jankovsky who’s supposed to act for District 1.

And there’s plenty of my neighbors who feel the same. In 2018, Paula Stepp kicked Jankovsky’s butt in District 1, but Jankovsky won with support strictly from Western Garfield County. If the commissioners really cared about everybody having a voice, they’d declare Garfield County a home rule county which would allow District One residents to have representation on the Board of County Commissioners.

Personally, I’m a diversity guy. I like voting with people whose common interests are different than mine and let the most votes win.

The great divide in this state and country is urban versus rural. The city dwellers are primarily Democratic and the country folks like the GOP. Something Republicans are going to have to get used to is there’s more people in the metropolises than there is in the sticks. In a democracy, a political system the GOP doesn’t seem very fond of, the majority rules.

And the demographics in Western Colorado are changing. The pandemic has shown people who work in the city don’t have to live there. They can work remotely and live someplace beautiful like Garfield County. Martin and 3rd District Commissioner Mike Samson won by razor thin margins last year, and I don’t like Jankovsky’s chances next year.

Jankovsky accused the redistricting commission of gerrymandering. How can that be when the commission was composed to be bipartisan? Why would the Republicans on the commission agree to a map that hurt their party?

As for the congressional districts, I don’t know what the GOP is worried about. Whether CD3 is divided or not, it’ll be represented by a Republican. The new district, CD8 from Adams to Weld County, will be a tossup.

Fred Malo Jr.

Carbondale


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