Brief by Central Staff
Small town life – November 2002 – Colorado Central Magazine
There was a time when Alma, a few miles up the Hoosier Pass road from Fairplay, was a rip-roaring mining camp.
But now it would prefer to be a quiet place.
On Sept. 16, the town board approved a new ordinance which will prevent semis from using loud unmuffled compression brakes (commonly known as “Jake brakes”) as they pass through town on their way down the pass.
The penalty can be as much as a $300 fine and 90 days in jail, although “We don’t necessarily want to jail them, we just want them to quit it,” according to Mayor Bob Ensign. If it works, we suggest Poncha Springs look into enacting a similar law.
Alma is also trying to get quieter with a big TV set — a 61-inch screen, to be exact. It was purchased with some federal law-enforcement grant money, along with private donations, and it will be set up in the town hall with a DVD player.
The idea is to give local kids a place to hang out, so that they’re not out on the streets making noise and causing trouble.