The Kiowa Ridge subdivision was created with estate sized lots for large homes in a beautiful and private setting. Elk, deer, rock outcroppings, beautiful Ponderosa Pine and Continental Divide views make this an ideal spot for the good life.
Unfortunately, the Town has decided they have better use for the land and have approved a road through this tranquil setting to better access Mary's Lake Lodge for living, dining or a party. And, it will be a good road for church services when accessed by parishoners of the new church being built.
What happened to peaceful, quiet and exclusive? What happened to the Indians?
Sunday, February 27, 2005
Backflow Prevents Contamination
Well now, it seems that many of you are a potential threat to our environment. Especially to the drinking water. Fortunately there is a solution. The State now has implemented a regulation that we install a backflow prevention device on most water service lines, unless there has been a granted variance. We think this is a wonderful idea and worth the time, money and effort to have the device installed. We truly will have a safer water system and it is good for all of us.
Now, if we could only keep the Town from dumping raw sewage into our water supply, as much as 60,000 gallons, we'd really have a safe water supply.
Has anyone ever considered the obvious? Like combining the Estes Park Sewer system with Upper Thompson and moving it away from the visitor center? Combining these utilities would significantly reduce expenses and multiple management costs and one truly safe system could be built.
Town Trustees would never spend the time on this boring infrastructure issue when they can spend money on a Kayak course no one can use. Oh well, $500,000 here and there isn't that much. Besides, the apathetic voters don't make a fuss, so why not?
Now, if we could only keep the Town from dumping raw sewage into our water supply, as much as 60,000 gallons, we'd really have a safe water supply.
Has anyone ever considered the obvious? Like combining the Estes Park Sewer system with Upper Thompson and moving it away from the visitor center? Combining these utilities would significantly reduce expenses and multiple management costs and one truly safe system could be built.
Town Trustees would never spend the time on this boring infrastructure issue when they can spend money on a Kayak course no one can use. Oh well, $500,000 here and there isn't that much. Besides, the apathetic voters don't make a fuss, so why not?
Saturday, February 26, 2005
I Pledge To Pick Your Pocket!
Estes Parkian
Small town politics, what could be more entertaining than small town politics in a resort town, surrounded by the most beautiful country God ever created? All of us Parkians love this valley and we all rely on everyone else loving it too. Thats how we make money in this town, tourists coming here, renting our rooms and purchasing our food and stuff. We are a tourist town and all of us Parkians are tourist farmers, so to speak. When the tourists are here we smile at them, make their beds and bag their purchases, we are clever about it - we have been the sales people on the side of the road that leads to Rocky Mountain National Park, the jewel of all the National Parks, for ninety years or more. But, once the tourists leave the smiles go away, we do not have to be nice any more and the winter political mad house begins our annual winter smack down. This years main event features an elected official (he was kind of elected - actually it was a dead even tie and this fellow won by a coin flip, honestly). It seems this trustee found he had an abundance of character, conviction, and a deep deep deep loathing of anything that mixes God and Government. Mr. Anti God In The Pledge, we will call him, took ten town trustee meetings from May 11, 2004 until September 15, 2004 before he announced to the world that he would not stand up and pledge his allegiance to our flag one nation under God with liberty etc. etc. etc... Parkians found this trustee's actions unacceptable and rallied together to have him removed from office through a recall vote initiative. Mr. Anti God In The Pledge is fighting to the bitter end standing on his constitutional rights. Sounds all fundamental and grass roots but, remember - this is a small town politician who has done quite well for himself renting rooms by the side of the road. There is a lot more to this Godless tale if you peel back the covers of this mans politcal dealings and discover what goes unspoken here in tourist town. First let us look at that date September 15, 2004 (when Mr. Anti God In The Pledge came out of the Anti God Closet) what was important about this date? The Town was prepairing to evict the Chamber of Commerce from the Visitors Information Center after fifty four years of continuous service on September 30, 2004. Hummmm.... Guess who was behind the four year effort to swindle and miss lead the Chamber of Commerce? You guessed it - Mr. Anti God In The Pledge. Hummmm..... His wife, Mrs. Anti God In The Pledge served on the Chamber Board of Directors at the same time Mr. Anti God In The Pledge sat as a trustee of the town. Mrs. Pledge worked closely with town staff to undermine the Chamber Executive Director, "A Coup" is how they referred to it. Now mind you Mr. Anti God In The Pledge was the Chairman of the Advertising Policy Committee of the town and directed the millions of dollars spent on advertising - you will never guess what part of the country and specific demographic was targeted, YOU GUESSED IT, families in the Bible Belt. Hummmmmm...... Now why is it important for Mr. Anti God In The Pledge to rid the town of its Chamber of Commerce you may be asking yourselves? It is simple - as you recall we are all tourist farmers and it is a sad sad fact that fewer and fewer tourists are coming to our beautiful valley and booking rooms. The number of potential customers is declining and the amount of money that could be spent on advertising for more tourists for us to farm, is maxed out. Mr. Anti God In The Pledge developed a movement a few years back that he called "equalization". His position is, if you have a motel in town limits (which he does) you collect a tax for the town and should be entitled to more customers than motels that happen to be outside of town limits. The Chamber of Commerce for fifty four years distributed customers fairly to motels that met the search criteria of the tourist; on the river, takes pets, has a pool..... you get the idea. In town or out of town was never an issue, pleasing the tourist was. Now Mr. Anti God In The Pledge has positioned himself in control of a lot of public tax monies and he is simply using it to control a dwindling resource, potiential room renters. While everyone looked one way Mr. Anti God In The Pledge had two - yes - two zoning laws changed that will put monies in his pocket. Hummmm...... Not to mention the streets resurfaced around his personal property prior to putting it up for sale. Hummmmmmm... Lets go a little deeper under the blanket, how did he purchase open space land to build his rooms for rent motel on the golf course? Hummmmmm.... Who was managing the ski area for the Parks Department and ran it into the ground shutting it down? Hummmmmmm.... After the ski area was shut down it freed up monies to be spent on YOU GUESSED IT, golf courses. Hummmmmm....... Small town politics. I Pledge to Pick your Pocket.
Small town politics, what could be more entertaining than small town politics in a resort town, surrounded by the most beautiful country God ever created? All of us Parkians love this valley and we all rely on everyone else loving it too. Thats how we make money in this town, tourists coming here, renting our rooms and purchasing our food and stuff. We are a tourist town and all of us Parkians are tourist farmers, so to speak. When the tourists are here we smile at them, make their beds and bag their purchases, we are clever about it - we have been the sales people on the side of the road that leads to Rocky Mountain National Park, the jewel of all the National Parks, for ninety years or more. But, once the tourists leave the smiles go away, we do not have to be nice any more and the winter political mad house begins our annual winter smack down. This years main event features an elected official (he was kind of elected - actually it was a dead even tie and this fellow won by a coin flip, honestly). It seems this trustee found he had an abundance of character, conviction, and a deep deep deep loathing of anything that mixes God and Government. Mr. Anti God In The Pledge, we will call him, took ten town trustee meetings from May 11, 2004 until September 15, 2004 before he announced to the world that he would not stand up and pledge his allegiance to our flag one nation under God with liberty etc. etc. etc... Parkians found this trustee's actions unacceptable and rallied together to have him removed from office through a recall vote initiative. Mr. Anti God In The Pledge is fighting to the bitter end standing on his constitutional rights. Sounds all fundamental and grass roots but, remember - this is a small town politician who has done quite well for himself renting rooms by the side of the road. There is a lot more to this Godless tale if you peel back the covers of this mans politcal dealings and discover what goes unspoken here in tourist town. First let us look at that date September 15, 2004 (when Mr. Anti God In The Pledge came out of the Anti God Closet) what was important about this date? The Town was prepairing to evict the Chamber of Commerce from the Visitors Information Center after fifty four years of continuous service on September 30, 2004. Hummmm.... Guess who was behind the four year effort to swindle and miss lead the Chamber of Commerce? You guessed it - Mr. Anti God In The Pledge. Hummmm..... His wife, Mrs. Anti God In The Pledge served on the Chamber Board of Directors at the same time Mr. Anti God In The Pledge sat as a trustee of the town. Mrs. Pledge worked closely with town staff to undermine the Chamber Executive Director, "A Coup" is how they referred to it. Now mind you Mr. Anti God In The Pledge was the Chairman of the Advertising Policy Committee of the town and directed the millions of dollars spent on advertising - you will never guess what part of the country and specific demographic was targeted, YOU GUESSED IT, families in the Bible Belt. Hummmmmm...... Now why is it important for Mr. Anti God In The Pledge to rid the town of its Chamber of Commerce you may be asking yourselves? It is simple - as you recall we are all tourist farmers and it is a sad sad fact that fewer and fewer tourists are coming to our beautiful valley and booking rooms. The number of potential customers is declining and the amount of money that could be spent on advertising for more tourists for us to farm, is maxed out. Mr. Anti God In The Pledge developed a movement a few years back that he called "equalization". His position is, if you have a motel in town limits (which he does) you collect a tax for the town and should be entitled to more customers than motels that happen to be outside of town limits. The Chamber of Commerce for fifty four years distributed customers fairly to motels that met the search criteria of the tourist; on the river, takes pets, has a pool..... you get the idea. In town or out of town was never an issue, pleasing the tourist was. Now Mr. Anti God In The Pledge has positioned himself in control of a lot of public tax monies and he is simply using it to control a dwindling resource, potiential room renters. While everyone looked one way Mr. Anti God In The Pledge had two - yes - two zoning laws changed that will put monies in his pocket. Hummmm...... Not to mention the streets resurfaced around his personal property prior to putting it up for sale. Hummmmmmm... Lets go a little deeper under the blanket, how did he purchase open space land to build his rooms for rent motel on the golf course? Hummmmmm.... Who was managing the ski area for the Parks Department and ran it into the ground shutting it down? Hummmmmmm.... After the ski area was shut down it freed up monies to be spent on YOU GUESSED IT, golf courses. Hummmmmm....... Small town politics. I Pledge to Pick your Pocket.
Trouble in Paradise?
Wow, this recent flap about the flapping flag. As we sit and breath, it seems that David Habecker, a Town Trustee, shows no respect for the flag and sits, back turned in protest, as other Town Trustees and visitors to town meetings recite the pledge. Along with this insult, he has shown his self serving interests while on various town boards and is in the midst of a recall effort by locals he has offended. Of course in this litigous society one has to waste taxpayers money on court action to stop the eminent recall, but recall efforts will surely prevail and trustee Habecker will most likely be thrown out onto the filthy downtown streets the town can't bother to keep clean.
Estes Parkian Truths
We hope you will enjoy our little insights and comments about the beautiful Estes Park, Colorado community. As with any community, there are beauties and there are zits. The beauty is easy to see, from the winding rivers coming off of the Rocky Mountains, to the peaks of Longs and Meeker in the adjacent Rocky Mountian National Park. Long's Peak caps at 14,256' from which one can see a hundred miles on a clear day. What a spectacle.
The community of Estes Park is made up of retiree's and business people. Most businesses are in the lodging, retail and restaurant business. Our schools are pretty evenly divided at about 400 students each in elementary, middle and high school. We have a large grocery store, a small grocery store, three hardware stores and many service and banking enterprises.
As a resort community many of the businesses are quite seasonal. Although open year around, our tourism traffic is pretty much for a five month period - June through mid October.
The community of Estes Park is made up of retiree's and business people. Most businesses are in the lodging, retail and restaurant business. Our schools are pretty evenly divided at about 400 students each in elementary, middle and high school. We have a large grocery store, a small grocery store, three hardware stores and many service and banking enterprises.
As a resort community many of the businesses are quite seasonal. Although open year around, our tourism traffic is pretty much for a five month period - June through mid October.