Bienvenidos, recién llegados
I’ve been a proud Carbondalian since I moved here some nine years ago. Never have I been more proud than I have recently, observing the way my town has treated the 100-plus, mostly-Venezuelan newcomers that have come here.
The migrants came to Carbondale because they heard in Denver there were jobs to be had in Colorado’s mountain towns. The newcomers ended up in Denver because the heartless bastards in Texas bused them off to Democrat-run cities to make a political point.
The jobs report was true enough, but the missing piece is there are so many help wanted signs because the people who work here have been priced out of the housing market by greedy developers who’d rather build dwellings they can make money on than the homes we need.
So, the newcomers ended up underneath the bridge over the Roaring Fork River near the intersection of highways 82 and 133. What do you do? Let them starve and freeze with winter coming on? When the newcomers got hungry and cold enough, they’d head back to Venezuela.
There are those, many of them writing letters to the editor in local newspapers, who would’ve done just that. They’re apparently unaware hunger was a primary motivator in getting the migrants to leave their homeland.
What Carbondale’s leaders, notably Mayor Ben Bohmfalk, Town Manager Lauren Gister and former Roaring Fork School District superintendent Rob Stein have done is find temporary shelter for the migrants. Now they’ve moved from the Third Street Center to Town Hall and the Carbondale Community United Methodist Church. The Roaring Fork School District has arranged for the newcomers to be fed at Crystal River Elementary School.
All of this costs money. Carbondale has received $223,880 in state emergency funds. When it was suggested Garfield County should chip in some assistance, Pitkin County Commissioner Francie Jacober told Aspen Daily News, “Don’t hold your breath.”
The migrants have now been in Carbondale for months. If you believe the leading candidate for the Republican nomination for president, we should be experiencing a crime wave by now. A quick check of the Town’s police log reveals that’s not happening.
It’s called compassion. Some believe it’s for sissies, but if we’re going to persevere with 8 billion souls on this planet, we’d better learn to pass it around.
Fred Malo Jr., Carbondale
Thank you for stopping
Last Thursday, Jan. 18, I got off the downvalley bus in Basalt and knew something was not right. I felt weak and dizzy and grabbed onto the platform wall as I tried to steady myself. It did not work. I woke up on my back, I had blacked out. Disoriented and scared, I managed to call my wife who was coming to pick me up. While waiting for her, laying on the ground visible to all the passing cars, I wondered why no one was stopping to help — something I needed and wanted. Then, they showed up. A man and a woman pulled off the highway and came over. They helped me sit up, offered to call for help and, when I told them I had a ride coming, they waited and helped me get to my car.
I didn’t and don’t know who they were. I hope this note finds its way to them and they learn how grateful I am for their help. I also want to let them know that I am okay. I got to the hospital where I stayed for a couple of days and am now recuperating at home.
What got me into this situation? Well, that is another story.
Matt Thomas, Carbondale
Take action!
The United States Forest Service (USFS) has begun a massive redevelopment project on their Main Street property. This is after three-plus years of deceitful actions have been taken to minimize and disregard public input. The Carbondale Board of Trustees submitted a formal letter to the USFS stating a need “to incorporate more public comments” and “pursue a mutually beneficial collaboration.”
Time is of the essence! Additional actions must be taken to save the integrity of our beloved community for generations to come.
Please visit and share MainStreet Alliance Facebook page: www.bit.ly/3GLIWZp
Jim Coddington III
MainStreet Alliance
Founder and Director
WE-cycle waste?
As I drive meals for seniors around Carbondale once a week, I notice all the expensive e-bikes parked at the various WE-cycle bike stands around town. They sit unused due to the inclement weather this time of year. They are often covered in snow, certainly getting wet and possibly rusting, and are withstanding sub-freezing temperatures which certainly cannot be good for their batteries. What will this do to their lifespan and potential maintenance costs? Would it make better sense to store these out of the weather for a few months each winter so taxpayers aren’t forced to bear the cost of their repair or replacement?
Siri Olsen, Glenwood Springs
Big Buddy
I have had the honor of serving as a Big Buddy to two different girls over the past five years. I met my first Little Buddy when she was a high school sophomore. We spent three years together, attending The Nutcracker and X Games, going to the movies, walking my dog, and hosting a radio show together, among other activities. Our official Buddy pairing ended when she graduated high school; however, we have stayed in touch.
I was eager to be rematched with a new Little Buddy and was subsequently paired with a fifth grader. Over the past two years, we have had fun getting to know one another through our shared passion for skiing, art, games, and movies.
Both of my mentoring relationships have been unique, based on the age and personality of each girl, yet they share similarities in that we have each benefited from them in profound ways. Giving back to young people has been my life’s work; as a child growing up in Aspen in the ‘70s, many adults outside of my family helped shape my life. I believe that being a positive role model is the most important thing an adult can do for a child. Please consider donating your time by becoming a Big Buddy. You may be surprised by how much happiness and fulfillment it brings to your life.
Brenda Carlson Stockdale, Basalt
Cooperation
Over the 86 years the USFS has been a guest in Carbondale, there has been cooperation. For instance, what is now Sopris Park — a well-loved amenity — was a horse corral for the Forest Service (later traded to Marjorie Velasquez and Keith Berry for 11.3 acres near the rodeo grounds and deeded to Carbondale). My deep curiosity is, after all these years in our downtown, why did the USFS stop cooperating with their neighbors? Enlighten me, I am available to listen.
Richard Vottero, Carbondale