Pages of the Past: Mountain lions and dogs, oh my

Carbondale became the first town on the Western Slope to plan for an emergency water supply from Ruedi Reservoir when the town council unanimously authorized $1500 for 100 acre feet of water. The purchase, which was facilitated by the Colorado River Water Conservation District, was negotiated to alleviate any possible shortages in town, and would be drawn from wells rather than directly from the Roaring Fork River.

In other news… A former local barber was being sought by police after “leaving a trail of bad checks and unpaid bills in his tonsorial wake.”

Aug. 6, 1987

A couple just outside of town woke to find that one of their horses had been wounded in an apparent mountain lion attack. Neighbors reportedly heard strange noises around 4 a.m. coming from the pasture in the floodplain off Eighth Street. The horse didn’t end up needing veterinary attention, but a wildlife officer did confirm that the wounds appeared to be from a lion.

In other news… In 10 years of existence, The Church at Redstone had grown to “one of the Valley’s most popular and inspirational congregations.”

Aug. 7, 1997

Town Council was planning a public hearing for the following week to discuss whether to allow dogs in certain Carbondale parks. The primary advocate for the change was parks and recreation committee member John Williams, who noted that “dogs need a place to run and play and have fun, and have the freedom to experience new things.” The key to making it work, he noted, would be encouraging owners to clean up after their pets with the installation of plastic bag dispensers. (There now are some dog-friendly area parks, most notably Delaney Nature Park on the floodplain, which has become known colloquially as “the dog park”.)

In other news… Glenwood pioneer and “chicken dinner” reporter Nellie Duffy died at 88.

Aug. 9, 2007

The Planning and Zoning Commission had approved a plat for apartments, parks and a community arts center on 14 acres of Roaring Fork School District property on the south end of Third Street. Although discussions suggested that some of the units might be deed-restricted for teachers, the complex was intended to meet a range of affordable housing needs with 60 to 80 units of various kinds. It would have occupied most of the green space around what became the Third Street Center, and consequently drew some opposition by neighbors. (The funding never came together and the project foundered. More recently, RFSD is moving forward with a much reduced staff-only development using money from a successful bond issue.)

In other news… Carbondale sales tax was up 16 percent over 2006 (a trend The Sun is pretty sure did not continue during The Great Recession).