Carbondale Fire gives thanks
On behalf of the Carbondale & Rural Fire Protection District Board of Directors, we extend our heartfelt thank you to everyone who participated in this year’s ballot decision. Your support for both the 1.5% sales tax and the $30 million bond demonstrates a shared commitment to the safety, strength and future of our district.
Because of your trust in us, we will be able to increase staffing and retain more qualified emergency responders. This will help ensure faster and more reliable service across our growing community.
The new sales tax will replace lost property tax revenue and help build emergency reserves, which will allow us to respond to economic changes and continue serving residents, businesses and visitors. The need for this sales tax arose from significant State of Colorado legislative changes that reshaped property tax calculations and sharply reduced revenue that voters had previously authorized for the district.
The apparatus and equipment replacement fund will support the ability to purchase necessary apparatus and equipment when needed, which will help keep both responders and the public safe.
The bond will provide essential improvements to stations and responder housing at several locations. It will add new units and modernized facilities and will support long-term stability for volunteers and staff.
Your contributions through everyday shopping or property ownership help support public safety. Visitors and residents are helping share the cost to keep your fire department response ready.
Your support will allow the district to provide enhanced services and improved infrastructure for many years to come.
Thank you for partnering with us to keep Carbondale & Rural Fire Protection District safe, resilient and strong. Your investment will make a meaningful difference in every response and we are grateful for your support.
Gene Schilling
Carbondale Fire
Don’t burnout, activists
I am writing concerning “activist burnout.”
Activist burnout is, as its name implies: When a person puts their thoughts and actions in the public sphere it can be exhausting, especially when you are standing up for your rights as a citizen while those rights are being threatened or even violated. Ordinarily, the average citizen doesn’t have to expend this energy, because their elected representatives are, in general, doing their jobs: representing their electorates and upholding Constitutional freedoms and rights.
But when hard times hit, we have to be willing to stand up for ourselves. We also have to understand that we aren’t Superman/Superwoman and must be willing to delegate when we must, lest imperiling our cause with burnout, which can lead to total apathy if unchecked.
Steps to help ease activist burnout include: taking care of your physical and emotional needs; setting boundaries so you aren’t overextended; practicing mindfulness and relaxation exercises; limiting/balancing your social media consumption; turning to community and friends for support and assistance; and stopping to celebrate successes, even small ones. And if you have truly overextended or in some other way disturbed your mental wellness, there’s nothing wrong with seeking out professional counseling and help.
Don’t let activist burnout undermine our efforts to build a better world.
Roger D. Miller
Glenwood Springs
Crystal resident for TMR
I believe the Crystal development situation is far more nuanced than many people realize. I’d like to clarify a few key points and explain why I, and an overwhelming number of Crystal residents, support this project.
My name is Roger Neal, and I, too, love the town of Crystal. My family has owned three historic cabins in Crystal for almost 80 years. Next summer will be my 78th in Crystal.
Treasure Mountain Ranch (TMR) owns the Crystal Mill, the majority of historic cabins in the townsite and several parcels totaling more than 700 acres and roughly three miles of river frontage. For over 50 years, TMR has run a modest commercial operation: a handful of rental cabins, a general store and overnight camping. In recent decades, that business barely offset ownership costs as property values and taxes skyrocketed.
In 2018, a majority of TMR family members voted to sell the property. One family member, Chris Cox, borrowed money to buy out his cousins in an effort to keep Crystal intact. He initially tried to preserve Crystal by keeping the old business model. It soon became clear he would have to sell land to repay the loan. At that point, change became inevitable. None of us wanted to see development, but compared to other developer proposals — commercial buildings on Main Street and beyond — the current TMR plan is overwhelmingly preferred by the majority of Crystal residents.
Many TMR shareholders are fourth and fifth generation property owners. New investors have also shown they value Crystal’s tranquility and pristine environment. For years, TMR has worked with Crystal neighbors and Crystal Valley stakeholders to balance conservation and preservation with the need for a financially viable operation.
The land use application allows four new guest cabins and a barn to be built well outside the historic town site. All six TMR historic Main Street cabins will be placed into a preservation easement. There will be no additional occupancy in Crystal, as four historic cabins will be retired from use and the new cabin use will not be available to the public.
The Planning Commission is not deciding whether Crystal will see development; it is deciding how it will happen. We can have a carefully planned, conservation-minded outcome, or piecemeal parcel sales. I hope you’ll support this project and help us preserve this beautiful site known as Crystal.
Roger Neal
Crystal
Full bellies, thanks to you
When the federal SNAP program was suspended in early November, thousands of families in Garfield, Eagle and Pitkin counties faced the possibility of empty tables. What happened next was nothing short of remarkable — our community came together. In this season of Thanksgiving, we are especially grateful for the way neighbors, organizations and local businesses stepped up so quickly to care for one another.
In just the first 12 days of November, Lift-Up served 1,389 individuals, a 15-26% increase over previous months. Volunteer engagement also surged. Office support grew from almost no volunteer hours in September to 15-25 hours each week in early November. Warehouse help increased from 10 hours each week in September to 25 in October — and an extraordinary 227 volunteer hours in the first two weeks of November alone, including 67 volunteers assisting with Thanksgiving preparations. Lift-Up also saw 40 community food drives launched across the valley, and their pantries welcomed one to three extra volunteers each day, many of whom intend to continue serving beyond the holidays.
Harvest for Hunger also experienced a dramatic rise in need. During the last two weeks of October, they served about 420 guests each week, but in the first two weeks of November, that number climbed to 560 guests weekly. Their volunteer base grew from 90 to 116 volunteers, and increased donations allowed them to double the amount of food purchased to meet the growing demand. Multiple food drives across the community helped keep their shelves stocked and ensured families had access to fresh, healthy food during this critical moment.
At the Food Bank of the Rockies, teams so far have distributed 83,514 pounds of food to nearly 2,400 households — about 9,400 people — across our tri-county region through the first two weeks of November.
SNAP typically provides more than $1.1 million in monthly food benefits across Eagle, Garfield and Pitkin counties, and while no single organization could fill that gap, your donations and support made an immediate and meaningful difference. This rapid response ensured families could continue putting meals on the table, despite the sudden loss of SNAP assistance.
The Eagle Valley Community Foundation, through The Community Market, invested an additional $5,000 each week in fresh food — produce, meat, dairy and eggs — ensuring families had access to nutritious meals during this difficult period. In the first two weeks of November, The Community Market saw a 14% increase in need, with 2,869 check-in visits representing 8,699 customers served. Usually they average about 150 volunteer hours each week, but that number grew to more than 220 volunteer hours each week. Additionally, 52 food drives across Eagle County helped keep their shelves stocked and their doors open to anyone who needed support. Thanks to community generosity, local children also received grocery gift cards through early childhood caseworkers, helping parents who had been skipping meals just to make sure their kids could eat.
These numbers tell an important story — but the real story is about heart. It’s about neighbors caring for neighbors, faith communities and businesses launching food drives and volunteers rearranging their own holiday plans to make sure others would have enough. In a time when many families were worried about how they would celebrate Thanksgiving, our valleys responded with generosity, kindness and a deep sense of shared responsibility.
On behalf of the board of West Mountain Regional Health Alliance’s (WMRHA) initiative, Mountain Coalition for Food and Nutrition Security — i.e. Garfield County Human Services, Garfield County Public Health, Pitkin County Human Services, Eagle County Human Services, Lift-Up, Food Bank of the Rockies, Eagle Valley Community Foundation, CSU Extension, Valley Meals and More, Harvest for Hunger, UpRoot and WMRHA, we extend our heartfelt gratitude to every individual, business and organization that donated, volunteered, or organized food drives. Your compassion turned a moment of crisis into a powerful display of community strength and solidarity.
Because of you, our valleys stayed fed — and hopeful — this Thanksgiving season. Thank you.
Namrata Shrestha
West Mountain Health Alliance
Fresh water is limited
The Texas Water Quality Association reports that Americans are permanently removing 22 million gallons of water a year, which is forever lost, by throwing away plastic bottles that contain water. Land dumps are sealed, if the water leaked out it would still be contained. It cannot reenter the Earth’s water table.
Fresh water is a precious resource. If you have a bottle of water that you don’t want to drink please pour it on a tree or on the ground. That way, it eventually enters the water table. Thank you. Since we have potable water, keep a permanent water bottle that you carry with you and refill at the sink.
Thanks from Mother Earth.
Illène Pevec
Carbondale
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