Concerns about county services
after Henderson Mine closes
Editor:
I have to write with my concerns regarding the future closure of the Henderson Mine and the distribution or lack of distribution of funding by the county.
It is unfortunate that we find ourselves in this situation now since the former commissioners were derelict in their duties not to make their county prepared for the situation, but politicians being what they are, this should be no surprise.
Such shameful, wasteful spending. There were businesses that wanted to build their facilities in this county, thereby employing not only people in this county, but which would also benefit the tax base, and were turned away. I know this for a fact because I was employed by one of those businesses. That business ended up in Golden, employed a good number of people and was bought by an international corporation.
My understanding is that it was just one of many. What’s done is done, but it is a good example of what happens in politics when we the people allow the politicians too much power.
So I would like to address the rumors I’m hearing, and I’m very hopeful that the rumors are just that, rumors, because they are not viable options.
One is cutting back road and bridge, which is not a solution. We as taxpayers require and need our road-and-bridge laborers because we live on mountain roads.
Another would be the closing of our transfer station, again which is not a viable option. Many of us live in areas where we cannot get garbage pick-up.
Please note that the good people who provide these services are very necessary. However, I am sure beyond a doubt that there are expensive and unnecessary employment roles that can be cut.
There is always too much management in government and corporate alike, many whose jobs and wages are not justifiable.
Another concern is that we will be required to have septic tank inspections. I can only assume that the purpose would be to generate income for the inspection itself and find fault, and force the installation of new and very expensive systems. I can assure the people coming up with these plans that, as an adult, I’ve been able to maintain and keep my property running without the added issue of more government and the targeting of one group of taxpayers.
Regarding a health clinic, why is this even a consideration at this time? Many of us go to our clinics and doctors in other communities without issue, so why this expense now? I personally will not be voting for this. Part of living in a rural mountain community is adjusting to having to commute for necessary care and shopping.
Am I to understand property has already been purchased for this, and that this very expensive piece of property needs a major overhaul?
What other lands have been bought unnecessarily at this very critical financial insecure time?
I personally have lost faith in all government, but I would suggest asking the taxpayers for their suggestions and input as a sort of brainstorming.
There are a lot of really bright people who will no doubt have some unique ideas. Hiring a consultant that has a good track record of helping other communities in similar situations would also be beneficial and a good use of funds.
It’s time for the wasteful spending to stop.
Cheryl Maynard
Clear Creek County
Where should the
Democratic Party go from here?
Editor:
I am a Democrat partly because of the way that Democratic leaders such as Jerry Fabryanic think.
I as well reject the sort of absolutism now seemingly embraced by the Republican Party.
However, I would like to point out to Jerry that although under his leadership the Democrats have done very well in Clear Creek County, overall, across our great nation, “pragmatic centrism” does not seem to have done so well.
Over the past 40 years or so, the sort of pragmatic centrism that Jerry espouses has failed to prevent the Republican Party from enacting major elements of the conservative individual-liberty-destroying economic agenda, an agenda that seems more designed to protect and enhance the liberty of corporations, religious institutions and wealthy individuals.
That pragmatic centrism has also failed to protect, in many states, significant erosions of the progressive social agenda as well.
Losing elections, such as 2010 and 2012, hardly seems very pragmatic.
Unless Democrats are happy with the overall status quo, just winning in presidential years simply does not appear to accomplish all that much.
And no amount of denial is going to change the fact that the Republican Party now holds a larger majority of elected offices than in more than 100 years.
All of the good liberty-expanding intentions of socially progressive Democrats don’t mean a damn thing if we fail to sustain the majorities required to enact and expand on the individual freedoms embodied by both aspects of the progressive agenda.
In my experience, ever since Reagan, many of our individual liberties have been under a successful assault by the Republican Party, starting with the infamous “saving” of Social Security and Medicare engineered by Tip O’Neill and Ronald Reagan.
I want to know if Democratic Party politicians are going to go beyond self-labeling themselves and the Democratic Party as progressive, or do the Democrats continue using the same socially progressive, economically half-conservative tactics and policies that have so disastrously failed us in the recent (and not so recent) past?
Andy Womack
Idaho Springs
Thanks to Smiths for ‘A Money’
Editor:
We just wanted to second the recent thank-you published in the Clear Creek Courant for Ed and Shirley Smith for the Clear Creek Student Reward Program. We are just so fortunate to have the Smiths and that “A Money” for our students.
What a generous and kind thing for them to do. We hope they get to see a few kids now and then with an A Money envelope in their hands. It’s always a thrill for them, and with a recent graduate, we’ve had several years of very enthusiastic announcements about A Money.
Our hearts are warmed every time that they care so much for our Clear Creek kids.
Craig and Dana Abrahamson
Georgetown
Housing shortage
needs to be fixed
Editor:
I am a three-year resident of Georgetown, and I can tell you without hesitation that the abysmal housing situation is draining life from this county. It needs to be addressed now.
People wonder and worry about the large transient/homeless population up here, and it is directly related to the lack of affordable rental housing. As my current landlord has decided to sell the condo I rent, effectively rendering me homeless at this point, I personally called every real estate agency in the county seeking a rental.
Not one of them had a rental below $1,600 per month. I do not claim to be a labor economist or finance expert, but it does not take a genius to realize that the jobs in this county do not pay the wages necessary to afford rent at those rates — unless one plans on acquiring four or more roommates and splitting the costs.
If I was living alone, the rent would eat my entire salary for the month. I wouldn’t be able to sustain myself in any way. The exorbitant rental rates exclude anyone who works in this county from being able to rent in this county.
Not only is it next to impossible to find an affordable rental, but many of the property owners in this county who advertise rentals do not take the plight of the renter seriously. They promise to rent to you and to hold apartments, only to turn around and rent the properties to another party for reasons unknown.
They do not respond to repeated requests for more information regarding their properties and availability. Some property owners discriminate illegally when showing apartments. One property owner had the gall to tell me, despite having proof I could afford her rental, that her apartment was one I should “aspire to” and suggested I look elsewhere.
Adding to the crisis are property owners who opt to rent their vacant homes at nightly rates through vacation rental sites. There are currently more than 40 vacation rental properties in Georgetown alone. That’s 40 properties that are unattainable for individuals and families who are desperate to find a place to live.
As if that wasn’t bad enough, there is absolutely no rental assistance available for those who need it. The Summit/Clear Creek Housing Authority that oversees the rental vouchers has a memo on its website that states it is no longer accepting applications for assistance, and the wait list is closed.
For someone like me, who makes less than $32,000 a year, it sounds a death knell for the ability to afford $1,600 in rent, or trying to save for a home of my own.
It appears that property owners in Clear Creek County are more concerned about the almighty dollar than doing anything remotely useful to resolve this widespread, persisting problem.
The irony is that some of these property owners are the same people who are worried about squatters on their vacant properties.
Here’s a crazy idea: Give them a place to rent instead of leaving a home empty all year and/or charging an entire month of pay, or more, for a roof. Enough is enough.
Janessa Harmon
Georgetown