Clarification: In last week’s Pages of the Past, mention of the James Surls roundabout sculpture under the “June 12, 2014” heading caused some confusion. The Carbondale trustees vote was in fact taken in July 2013, though public scrutiny persisted along with paperwork.
Rio Grande danger
My husband and I are senior citizens who live in Carbondale. It has been our daily habit for years to walk on the Rio Grande Trail in and around Carbondale. We have been grateful that the trail exists and that RFTA maintains it for us all. However, reckless bicycle-riding on the trail has reached a point that we have become afraid for our safety. I know we are not alone in fearing accidents.
Many polite cyclists we meet on the trail are enjoying the scenery and happily taking the safety of others into consideration. Unfortunately there is a growing minority of cyclists who do not follow the rules regarding right-of-way, speed, single-file travel and announcing themselves before passing pedestrians. There has been a significant increase in trail use by cyclists in the past few years.
I am aware that signage on the trail has been kept to a minimum to preserve the “natural” aspects of the trail. This may have been appropriate in prior times, but this policy is now sadly outdated. Appropriate trail signage is needed and the safety rules need to be widely promulgated. There are numerous blind curves that need to be posted to avoid collisions. The signage need not be obtrusive. There are lots of creative people in our valley who can come up with signage ideas that preserve our values and aesthetic while supporting safety.
The community also needs to be assured that the cyclists we encounter on our trails on RENTED bicycles are aware of the rules and aware that the trail is for the SHARED use of equestrians, the disabled (including those in wheelchairs), the elderly and small children. The distribution of trail safety rules needs to be required of the bicycle renting community. I am not naive and am aware of the strong cyclist lobbying power in this valley but it is time for our responsible cyclists to step up and do the right thing and support the rigorous following of the safety rules. Whose fault will it be if RFTA and the bike rental community do not seriously address these matters? Whose family member needs to be injured before responsible action is taken?
Denise Fogerty
Carbondale
Litter alert
After an invigorating bike ride on the paved path paralleling Highway 133 south of Carbondale, I returned to lock my bicycle in the rack of my vehicle at the turnout marking a view of Mt. Sopris. I “picked up” where I left off by gathering two dozen mostly-crushed beer cans that had been discarded unceremoniously at an indeterminate time by unknown persons in the shallow gully next to the parking space, and proceeded to take them with me to the nearest recycling receptacle I could find. Shame on these folks who did not act as “Modelo” (the brand of the beer) citizens by carelessly tossing these containers aside.
Bernie Pearce
Ouray
Hard sell
Ken Pletcher’s article on Builders FirstSource’s new lumberyard next to the not-so-new-anymore City Market on Highway 133 in the June 20 Sopris Sun was nothing more than a public relations piece.
Builders FirstSource’s manager Doug Williams is quoted saying all he’s heard from the townspeople is, “Glad you’re here.” Carbondale Mayor Ben “smart-growth” Bohmfalk thinks the yard “hit the sweet spot” for the town’s needs. I have yet to talk to anyone outside town government, including contractors who are supposedly benefiting from this facility, who think it’s a good idea.
Let’s face it, Aspen has dumped their lumberyard downvalley and are responsibly planning to replace it with affordable housing. I wasn’t paying much attention to town matters when the plans for the Carbondale Marketplace including the City Market were made, but those who were tell me the lumberyard was kind of snuck in at the last minute.
Bohmfalk says an effort was made for the yard not to be a big box store like Walmart or Lowe’s. That’s in deference to the town mothers who’ve resisted those sort of structures before. Now that I’ve seen it, it may not be a big box, but it’s not someplace I’d like to live next to.
Traffic impacts will be minimal, Bohmfalk and Williams say. Well, I sat at the intersection of Nieslanik Avenue and 133 the other day for quite some time trying to get across 133 from the Dollar Store to the City Market while truck after truck rolled by.
Town finance director Christy Chicoine reports sales tax revenues will increase substantially with the new lumberyard. Isn’t that what it’s all about, Mayor Ben?
Fred Malo Jr.
Carbondale
Re: Trump
A letter to the editor last week complained that the felony conviction of Donald Trump and January 6 attack on the Capitol were staged, a gross and unfortunate explanation falsely perpetrated by a cult leader who has normalized lying. The felony convictions happened because there were crimes perpetrated, which are but a fraction of the many from a lifetime of privilege and sociopathic narcissism. The denial of fact, whether it be science, history or criminal acts, has grave implications. When fabrication replaces truth, we lose our identity and historical perspectives. And with that, we will sacrifice personal freedom, individuality, and the founding basis of our great nation.
Trump’s rise to power and his spell over his devoted is a remarkable parallel to past and present dictators. I encourage those who care to watch the Netflix feature “Hitler and the Nazis: Evil on Trial.” The Nuremberg trials were not cooked up by a crooked world court, the crimes were perpetrated by heinous manipulators, much like we are seeing from the Trump camp now. Do you believe his promises of a “mass deportation” of undocumented immigrants will stop there? Do you think taking away a woman’s physical autonomy will be the end of his attack on their self-determination? A lot of well-intended people want to believe he is serving their political preferences, but it is a mirage; he is not the messiah. Buyer beware.
Russell Libby
Snowmass
Debate
I recorded but didn’t watch the Trump-Biden debate. The commentary was off-putting. I watched the Caitlin Clark WNBA game. The debate problem was simple.
Biden didn’t have the right tactics for “Trump-arama.” I stumbled on something called “Gish Gallop” today (see Wikipedia). The British commentator Mehdi Hasan has a chapter about this tactic in his book “Win Every Argument: The Art of Debating, Persuading, and Public Speaking.” Trump uses Gish when he spouts an endless stream of garbage. There is no chance to refute and doing so is only defensive. Instead, pick one stupid point and hammer him to death on it.
“Brandolini’s law” comes into play (again, Wikipedia). “The amount of energy needed to refute BS is an order of magnitude bigger than that needed to produce it.” So don’t try to refute it all.
Some have questioned why Biden’s advisers wouldn’t know this. Biden would just need a few good counters to bring out when Trump touches (lies) about a few things. Also, pay no attention to whatever nonsense the reporters ask. Nobody cares about them.
Biden might ask if Trump is happy with his probation officer. Or will the sale of gold sneakers and bibles cover the $454 million on the tax fraud penalty? Or isn’t $83 million for E. Jean Carroll kind of an expensive date? There is plenty to work with.
Patrick Hunter
Carbondale
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