It’s time to ‘cowboy up and help take care’ of our town

Editor:

It’s always interesting to me how so many people come out against ballot measures, either directly or indirectly, no matter how well written and informative, when hardly anyone attends city council meetings. Most times, one could count the number of folks, including me, on one hand.

I’m glad the city passed the fire station ballot measure. I wish the fire protection district had. According to county road and bridge, for the past 25 years larger projects have been funded primarily by federal and state grants. I hope we recognize the need for a 50-cent tax on $100 to ameliorate the current $38 million deficit in road and bridge deferred maintenance costs to help provide ongoing funding for operations. The people who run the road and bridge department live here and pay the same taxes we do. Like the fire station that will last for 100 years, our roads ought to last perpetually for 100 years. Some things just cost money and I reckon we should cowboy up and help to take care of our county and our town.

Speaking of our town, here are a few things that I reckon we ought to consider:

I believe we should continually evaluate burying all our utility lines within the city. I believe it’s in keeping with our mountain aesthetic but aside from that, it provides reliability. Fort Collins has 100% buried utilities. Colorado Springs has 80% buried. Both systems have proven to be 99.9% reliable.

I believe we should pave all our alleys. Many properties in town use a combination of private and on-street parking. Even with marked parallel spaces, many times it is nearly impossible to see around cars, and particularly trucks that are legally parked, to safely cross town intersections. Paved alley access to off-street parking might reduce on-street parking congestion. Cities such as Denver and Colorado Springs have ongoing alley paving programs. Other towns such as Boulder and Fort Collins have paving initiatives in place. They see the initiatives improving infrastructure and enhancing safety and accessibility.

I believe we should keep our city streets broad and well-paved. When Gunnison was considered for the state capital, it was decided that streets should be wide enough so that a four-horse team could be turned around therein. In keeping with our mountain aesthetic, broad streets give a sense of expansiveness, visibility and prosperity.

I believe our core city streets should be maintained regularly and well. I believe they mostly are. But I believe they should be black and rich and always well-lined with as many speed-controlled bike lanes as possible. This aesthetic connotes openness, strength, stability and progress. It’s a great view for prospective families evaluating our valley and for people looking to settle in our fair city.

A Feb. 22 article published in Travel and Leisure titled, “10 Best U.S. Mountain Towns to Live in Year-round, According to Real Estate Experts,” included two Colorado towns. Neither Gunnison nor Crested Butte were there. I wish they were.

Joe Dix

Gunnison