Brief by Marcia Darnell
San Luis Valley – January 1998 – Colorado Central Magazine
A Loaf of Acupuncture and a Gallon of Reiki, Please
The Saguache County commissioners are considering granting a special use permit to allow a 31,000-square-foot “healing center” to be built in Crestone. The center would be the largest complex in the area — the Colorado College outpost is a mere 12,000 square feet.
Is this the same Crestone that wouldn’t allow a grocery store or filling station?
Farther south, in Monte Vista, officials are planning to re-zone land around the airport for business development, but they have delayed action on approving a new subdivision.
Note to elected officials: If you build it they may come, but they’ll need a place to live.
Staters Strengthen DUI Net
Arrests for drunk driving have increased 21 percent in the San Luis Valley since 1993, according to the Colorado State Patrol. Stats for 1993 show 195 citations for DUI, with 246 people cited last year. Capt. Jeffrey Babcock says a lot of that is due to the larger number of troopers on the road.
Among this year’s arrests is Saguache County Court Judge James Mrzlak. His honor has been cited twice for DWAI in the last 18 months. A special prosecutor is being sought for the case against Mrzlak, who has not indicated whether he’ll step down. He’s up for re-election in November 1998.
Do the Right Thing (with the Right Firm)
The town of Center is facing a bill from the EPA for work it paid for in 1984.
The hamlet in Saguache County paid a firm to dispose of some old transformers that contained PCBs. Like other towns in Colorado, including Gunnison, it contracted with Trinity Chemical in Kansas City to dispose of its old transformers. Trinity sent each town a “certificate of destruction” before going out of business in 1986.
Town officials are now being contacted by the EPA, who is saying the job wasn’t done right and the towns in question are liable for the costs of proper disposal.