Brief by Marcia Darnell
San Luis Valley – November 2008 – Colorado Central Magazine
VIP Visit
Alamosa is officially on the map. The political map. International diplomat Bill Richardson, governor of New Mexico, made an appearance at the Alamosa Farmers Market.
The Guv was there to campaign for Barack Obama and encourage voter registration. He reviewed Obama’s plans for improving the economy and human rights, and noted McCain’s position to renegotiate water compacts in the West. He stated that New Mexicans have coined a new term for electing the senator from Illinois: Obamanos!
Eerie SLV
Human remains were found in a shallow grave near the Great Sand Dunes. Another body was found in a barrel in Saguache County. Both cases are under investigation. In Rio Grande County, what may be a human bone was unearthed in an underground bunker. And in a Costilla County case, Jack Gordon, 77, is missing.
What Stinks?
A maintenance worker at Centennial School in San Luis got dinged for asking a student to shoot two skunks. After the critters took up residence under a school building, the man asked a student to bring a gun to school and take ’em out. Swift justice is being brought to the instigator of the violence.
Back Stop
The city of Alamosa will adopt backflow protection measures to avoid cross-contamination of drinking water by the non-potable kind. Last spring’s salmonella outbreak is blamed on cross contamination with a reservoir of undrinkable wet stuff. The city and its businesses will install devices that, hopefully, will prevent any future outbreaks.
Bailout
It’s not just WaMu. The Alamosa County Chamber of Commerce received its own bailout, getting $15,000 from the city, tourism/marketing board, and the Alamosa Community Development Corp. The Chamber has suffered a revolving door of directors, plummeting membership, and a sea of overdue bills.
Brief Briefs
The U.S. Forest Service has extended the public comment period on the Village at Wolf Creek until Dec. 31. The input concerns the Environmental Impact Statement the USFS is re-doing on the proposed development.
The old Hansen Sawmill near Saguache burned. The fire, fueled by sawdust and slash, lasted for days.
SLV Habitat for Humanity dedicated its 13th house in the San Luis Valley. Loretta Vialpando and son Robert are happy in their new home. Fiber Floozies (profiled in CC April ’08) donated a quilt to the new homeowners.
Homelake, the state veterans’ home, will get a large federal grant to rehab its cottages; the assisted living units were built before 1943.
The Valley Courier, the five-day-a-week newspaper, followed national trends and downsized its publication.
The Hsu brothers were honored by the Alamosa Community Development Corp. James and Chuck have built many businesses in the city and now have a street bench downtown.
The USDA designated Alamosa, Costilla, and Saguache counties — among others — as primary natural disaster areas. This means farmers hit hard by drought, freezes and hail may qualify for federal financial assistance.
Father Pat Valdez, pastor of the Sangre de Cristo Parish and pillar of the San Luis community, is leaving for Nigeria.
Katy Bagwell is alive and well. The Alamosa minor was missing for almost two months. She was located in Albuquerque with her 20-something boyfriend, who was arrested.
Some people in Alamosa are talking about building an aquatic center. The estimated cost would be $6 million. The cost to rehab Splashland would be about $345,000.
The Rio Grande Headwater Land Trust (profiled in CC June 2002) nabbed a grant to protect the river in the Rio Oxbow Ranch.
The San Luis Valley Museum strongly requested over $73,000 from the marketing district for next year’s budget. The museum had been allocated $20,000. A decision is forthcoming.
Mike Sullivan is leaving the SLV to become the new deputy state engineer for the Colorado Division of Water Resources.
The Alamosa School District is boss-hunting. Superintendent Henry Herrera plans to leave at the end of the school year.
Dot Belknap was named the first director of the new San Luis Valley Regional Medical Center Foundation.
