Forest Service
It has recently come to my attention that the new building on the U.S. Forest Service lot in downtown Carbondale is now in the bidding stage. I remember hearing back in 2019 that the three current buildings are inadequate, and one new building was needed. As I have learned more in the past two weeks about the overall project and the impacts, I am putting out a call for action to have the project paused. The project includes removing nine of 11 trees on the land, including two of the three mature blue spruces right along Main Street. (The Light Up Carbondale tree on the corner will not be removed.)
The design of the building does not fit with the architecture on Main Street. It enlarges the parking lot and creates a one-way, drive-thru permitting station for campers and RVs to pull into the lot, then exit and choose either a hard right or left turn onto Weant Boulevard.
I’ve also learned that the U.S. Forest Service has land in El Jebel, which might be a better location for the drive-thru permitting and offices, and the lot here in town could be used for employee housing, a research center, or other uses.
There are two ways you can get involved. Please sign my petition at change.org, “Save Spruce Trees on Main Street, Carbondale, CO” and attend the Board of Town Trustees meeting on Tuesday, August 22, at 6pm to voice your opinion.
Diana Alcantara, Carbondale
Citizen participation
Carbondale’s vintage downtown is precious to myself and many other residents. The proposed new Forest Service building will bring more traffic into downtown, including trailers. The proposed modern-style building is out of character with the existing old buildings.
Citizen participation in the design process was lost due to the pandemic. Citizen awareness and participation have returned. The existing plan can be used at the El Jebel land. Oh, and the trees will continue to live.
Richard Vottero, Carbondale
Thanks for the tunes
Thanks to KDNK for its NPR-style “Tiny Desk” concert Friday evening with Sweet Jessup and the Dirty Buckets band.
Five musicians on an eight-by-four-foot stage. Multiple instruments — including the saw, a one-octave toy piano, plastic buckets and a wine bottle. Olivia Pevec sat in on vocals for a song. An epic venue, performance and night.
P.S. Sweet Jessup also played live on KDNK a few nights before the show. I thought they were a touring band in town for a Steve’s Guitars gig until the DJ announced the name (Sweet Jessup is an irrigation ditch that runs through Carbondale).
Lynn “Jake” Burton
Carbondale/Glenwood Springs
Re: Batman
So I see The Sopris Sun sent out the Batman signal in the night sky with “Holy White Nose Syndrome, Batman! It’s in Colorado!” (Amy Hadden Marsh, Aug. 2, 2023) about the killer fungus white nose syndrome (WNS) and courageous Tina Jackson, Colorado Park and Wildlife species conservation coordinator and bat expert, doing her best to save bats in Colorado.
As a sidebar, Tina Jackson may want to think, what would the co-creators, Bob Kane and Bill Finger, of Batman do through Batman to save his trade trademark and crime fighting brand from such a deadly enemy as WNS?
Let’s never forget Bob Kane and Bill Finger graduated from DeWitt Clinton High School in the Bronx in Gotham, New York City. Let’s give a Bronx cheer for Tina Jackson, Bob Kane, and Bill Finger!
Best wishes,
Emzy Veazy III
Democrats say…
Dems say Bidenomics is working. We see 61% of Americans living paycheck to paycheck.
Dems blame guns for rising crime. We see inane no-bail laws and idiots defunding police.
Dems claim our border is secure. We see over 6 million aliens invading the U.S. under Joe’s tenure in the White House.
Dems say Trump is being fairly treated. We see the FBI, CIA and DOJ being weaponized by the Biden cabal against conservatives.
And the mainstream media hides the truth from U.S. citizens like Pravda. How sad.
Bruno Kirchenwitz, Rifle
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