Good examples of collaboration in Valley
Carrie Click
Post Independent Staff
May 2, 2004
GLENWOOD SPRINGS — The communities in the Roaring Fork and Colorado River valleys are “great examples of the West growing up,” according to Daniel Kemmis, former mayor of Missoula, Mont., and an expert on public policy, land use and community building.
“This is a heck of a good example of getting it done
right,” Kemmis said of collaborative work being done in
the Roaring Fork and Colorado River Valley communities.
Kemmis spoke at the Hotel Colorado Friday as part of the
second annual State of the Valley Symposium, hosted by
Healthy Mountain Communities, a nonprofit
Carbondale-based community organization headed by Colin
Laird.
Kemmis made his presentation, “New Visions Governing the
West,” to about 120 residents, business leaders and
elected officials. The symposium was open to the public
and cost $65 for the day-long event.
Grand Junction Mayor Jim Spehar, a Democrat who’s
running for Colorado’s 3rd Congressional District seat,
introduced Kemmis to the crowd, describing Kemmis as his
mentor and teacher.
“There’s a lot of Western mythology surrounding the
rugged individual,” Spehar said. “What Dan has taught me
is that you can’t do it individually. RFTA and the
valley’s affordable housing projects are examples of
that. You need to concentrate on what unites you — on
what you have in common. Communities need to
collaborate. That’s the gospel according to Daniel.”
Kemmis’ presentation followed brief reports from
regional organizations working on valley-wide issues.
(See related story below.)
“I see you all have an obvious commitment to the region
as a whole,” Kemmis said. “Even though the people in
this room are from many different communities, you’re
working effectively together. Give yourselves credit for
how far you’ve come.”
He said the West’s aridity, and the region’s dependence
on limited sources of water, are key factors in dealing
with local community needs like affordable housing,
transportation and land use planning.
“All of these things are affected by our need for water.
It’s important to understand our interrelationships with
watersheds,” he said. “At this point in history, people
are realizing the importance of watersheds and the
importance of working together. It’s a phenomenon of
historical proportions that’s happening right here in
this room, and in this valley.
“We’ve had a set way of doing things, and now we’ve had
time to understand what works and what really doesn’t
work,” said Kemmis.
“I want to leave you with this thought,” Kemmis said.
“Personally, I have great faith in the West. People like
you are taking responsibility for a highly impressive
level of citizenship.
“Maybe you had an idea before that somebody was going to make all of this work — but there’s nobody there,” Kemmis added. “We’re going to have to do it ourselves. That awareness has dawned on a lot of people — and that’s good news.”
Contact Carrie Click: 945-8515, ext. 518
cclick@postindependent.com
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Summaries of symposium presentations
Carrie Click
Post Independent Staff
May 2, 2004
The State of the Valley Symposium held Friday featured a variety of presentations on current social and political issues. Here are summaries.
• Oil and gas drilling, presented by Doug Dennison,
Garfield County oil and gas auditor.
Dennison reported that Garfield County is now the most
active gas-producing county in the state. He said 35
rigs are currently operating, accounting for half the
rigs in Colorado.
In 2003, 566 well permits were approved; already in
2004, 174 well permits have been approved, and he
estimated more than 700 wells would be approved by
year’s end.
Dennison said the newly formed Garfield County Energy
Advisory Board, composed of people “from both sides of
the table,” has had two meetings, and said the next
meeting is at 6 p.m., Thursday at the Rifle Fire
Station. The public, as always, is invited.
• Labor issues and the immigrant, presented by Tom
Ziemann of Catholic Charities.
Ziemann said Catholic Charities is continuing to
advocate for fair pay and safe conditions for immigrant
workers.
He said two community advocates working in Glenwood
Springs and Avon are assisting immigrants with
mediations between employers over disputes in pay,
particularly among undocumented workers.
He said the results of unsafe or unfair business
dealings contributes to hatred, division and crime, and
encouraged people to contact their legislators to create
more stringent labor laws that will help to alleviate
these problems.
• Watershed issues, presented by Kristine Crandall of
the Roaring Fork Conservancy and Cindy Houben.
Houben and Crandall described the Watershed
Collaborative, a group researching and providing
information on watershed issues in Pitkin, Eagle and
Garfield counties. The research includes working with
the Division of Water Resources, the Colorado River
Water Conservation District, the Nature Conservancy and
the United States Geological Survey, to collect data on
river flow, fluctuations, water quality and sustainable
watershed management.
• Affordable housing, presented by Susan Shirley of
Mountain Regional Housing Corporation.
Shirley said communities are better when they include
people from all economic levels. She said the MRHC’s
housing rental and sale program is geared towards
households making between $16,000 (single) to $92,000
(family).
MRHC acts as a nonprofit developer in rental and
for-sale housing, and has been instrumental in
valley-wide projects including Thompson Corner in
Carbondale, the Ullr Commons in Aspen and White River
Village in Rifle. The organization also offers home
buyer classes.
• Energy efficient construction, presented by Steve
Novy of Novy Architects and Joani Matranga of the
Community Office for Resource Efficiency.
Novy told the crowd, “Energy efficiency makes sense for
long-term affordability.”
Matranga said, working in part with Novy, CORE is helping people build energy efficient homes locally according to Building America specifications, including passive solar design, increased insulation, high efficiency furnaces, water conservation and xeri-landscaping.
• Leadership development, presented by Virginia
Newton of Roaring Fork Leadership.
Newton explained that Roaring Fork Leadership, a
16-year-old Aspen-based leadership program that serves
people from the Roaring Fork Valley, accepts individuals
from the for-profit and nonprofit sectors. Once a month
for nine months, the group meets to listen to speakers,
learn conflict resolution, enhance organizational skills
and build community connections.
• Health care, presented by Lori Hogan of the
Glenwood Springs Chamber Resort Association.
Roaring Fork Valley Community Health Plan, Hogan
explained, began in 1993 to promote quality health care
and health education to individuals and small businesses
at an affordable cost. The organization now serves
communities from Aspen to Rifle and offers group and
individual health plans that address the needs of rural
communities.
The coverage is provided by a leading insurance company
and distributed by local brokers.
• Computer map planning, presented by Garfield County
planner Randy Russell and Glenwood Springs city planner
Mike Pelletier.
Russell and Pelletier demonstrated a computer mapping
program that helps planning departments assess an area’s
current status, and what it might look like at build
out.
Using a projection screen and a laptop computer, Pelletier guided the audience on a simulated flight over the Four Mile area, showing what the area looks like now, and what it will look like if plans for developments, such as the former Red Feather Ridge subdivision, the Bershenyi property, and an Oak Meadows and Sunlight Mountain Resort expansion, are realized.
Contact Carrie Click: 945-8515, ext. 518
cclick@postindependent.com
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