Re: Lumberyard
I think the new lumberyard will have some negative effects not mentioned in last week’s article. I would expect the folks at CRMS will hear the beep-beep-beep of backup alarms from the forklifts and loaders starting at some very early hour. And during temperature inversions, they may get a further fill of trapped diesel exhaust. Hopefully, at least, any screening trees will be better rooted than the feeble, dying things behind City Market.
Four hundred vehicle trips per day is mentioned. Many of those vehicles will be diesels with disabled or dilapidated emissions and noise controls. Most will be headed upvalley, will be forced to turn south, and then will decide to head to Catherine via Main Street. The diesel noise and air pollution on Main Street is already bad and will get worse. Back in the day, Snowmass Drive was the truck route so the nasty coal trucks could avoid Main Street enroute to the load-out on CR 100, but now it’s filled with schools and kids.
In the same issue a letter writer mentions electric school buses to replace diesels. This is all fine and good and should be supported. However, again we may get a few examples of ultra-clean tech from public or charitable organizations, while our general experience is more toxic smoke and noise. A small local improvement could be made, since autumn is almost here, if the town would announce and enforce Item 7 of Ordinance 10-9-10. Prohibited noises: “The operation of gasoline-powered blowers, including, but not limited to, lawn and leaf blowers.”
Fred Porter
Carbondale
Re: Roundabout
The manager for the new lumberyard told The Sopris Sun that the town of Carbondale should get the proposed new roundabout built. He acknowledged: the sooner … the better. But why didn’t all the new businesses put the new roundabout in ahead of time? Why should the town have to put in the infrastructure for the development?
Even now, every City Market customer is forced to use the existing roundabout. Even people just getting a tank of gas. The lumberyard expects “438 daily trips” that will consist of semis bringing in materials, delivery trucks going upvalley and visits from contractors and shoppers. But that is really 876 vehicle “trips” on our roads because they come and go.
In one of the traffic study projections for a new development they predicted an “F” rating for the existing roundabout in just a few years. That means traffic will be stacking up at the connecting streets.
The lumberyard manager said they “looked for a long time” to find this location in Carbondale. Well, they picked the wrong spot. They should have stayed on Highway 82, like they were, not come to Highway 133.
Already we have traffic backing up on 133 because the intersection at 82 can’t handle the volume. People heading upvalley are taking Main Street to Catherine Store. I have done it myself.
The town of Carbondale has been in a rush to approve new development. Some folks thought it time to examine this process. Work was done on a Comprehensive Plan review and on new building codes for commercial development — but it has been put on hold. Previous surveys stressed maintaining “small town character.” Is that a lost cause?
Patrick Hunter
Carbondale
Slow Down in Town
Take A Minute, Slow Down in Town. Every resident and business that has posted this sign wants the same thing that we all want: a safe existence and safe passage. Silver lining? If we slow down, coast more, brake less, drive with the flow, we’ll get higher gas mileage (more cash in our pockets). And, we’ll arrive at our destination less stressed.
Give it a go, try to drive with and maximize on the “green” time of the 39 lights on Highway 82 as you head south. Driving more safely saves insurance dollars and perhaps collision repairs. We’ve got everything to gain as we drive to preserve all that we love about these valleys.
Diane Reynolds
Glenwood Springs
Debt report
The Federal Reserve System, our country’s central bank, disseminates lots of information for consumption by high financiers, and even you in your community at-large. You may not know it, but it does this for you and your government’s benefit.
The Quarterly Report on Household Debt and Credit shows total household debt rose to $16.15 trillion in the second quarter of 2022. The Federal Reserve Bank of New York’s report, by its Center for Microeconomic Data, shows a snapshot of U.S. consumers’ credit conditions and activity. Anonymized Equifax credit information is sampled each quarter (every three months).
This Report is to help community groups, small businesses, state and local governments and the public to better understand, watch and respond to trends in borrowing and indebtedness at the household level.
Imagine if you and your local government effectively used this quarterly information tool in your affairs and money circumstances, wouldn’t you be in tuned with what you did not understand or could not handle before?
Also, the New York Fed issues an accompanied Liberty Street Economics blog post interpreting delinquency rate across debt types with a breakdown of auto delinquency by state.
For this part quarter ending June 30, here are some things to take note of:
1. Mortgage balances are $11.39 trillion.
2. Credit card balances are the largest in more than 20 years.
3. Current debt going into delinquency stays historically very low.
4. Student loan balances stand at $1.59 trillion.
5. Credit inquiries for the first six months of 2022 were at roughly $110 million. This indicates consumer credit demand.
6. There is rising delinquencies among subprime and low income borrowers.
Best wishes,
Emzy Veazy III
Aspen