Pages of the Past: Cranes, trains and automobiles

Oct. 13, 1977

About 40 concerned citizens turned out at an organizational meeting for a proposed gravel pit and batch plant northeast of Carbondale. Mostly, they were there to protest, with concerns ranging from traffic and noise to increased water temperatures and mosquito population. On the flip side, the town was set to receive 6 cents per ton extracted and the 30-acre parcel was to be donated to the town by 1988.

In other news… Stark Construction won the commercial float division in the Potato Day Parade with what appeared to be a boat suspended from a crane.

Oct. 15, 1987

Following an inspection on a failed septic tank along the Frying Pan River, the  Eagle County Commissioners learned that the county might not own just the road, but 100 feet in each direction from its center point — at least for property deeded since 1920, when Colorado Midland Railroad turned over its deed. They opted not to vacate the whole property — “We’d look real foolish if we abandoned it then needed it three years from now,” Dick Gustafson said — but were entertaining petitions on a case-by-case basis.

In other news… Skyrocketing malpractice insurance rates had longtime area physicians Gary Knaus and Rick Herrington wondering whether they could feasibly continue to deliver babies.

Oct. 16, 1997

Community Corrections was considering locating a facility in Garfield County, though commissioners weren’t convinced. At the time, work release was done directly through the jail or inmates assigned to programs elsewhere in the state.

In other news… River Valley Ranch decided to keep Tommy Gould’s 1957 International Harvester truck on the golf course rather than having it hauled off.

Oct. 18, 2007

Following the construction of a new park and ride, RFTA was trying to figure out how to tie a rapid transit system into Carbondale’s existing stops. With almost half of users still boarding at the pool, most residents seemed in agreement that a circulator bus would be necessary to make an express viable. A stop on Hendrick Drive also was discussed (but never materialized).

In other news… The Colorado Supreme Court ruled in favor of the Town of Carbondale in a case against a Nettle Creek landowner in the use of pesticides near the municipal water supply.