Brief by Marcia Darnell
San Luis Valley – April 2004 – Colorado Central Magazine
Future Water Woes
We’ll be dry unless we rehab and restore rivers and water storage in the coming decades, say representatives from SWSI. The Statewide Water Supply Initiative said an increasing population will create critical water problems within the next 25 years. Increasing surface and underground storage and rehabbing rivers for better flow are essential steps in protecting the future of the Valley.
Better Blanca
The town of Blanca has a new Beautification Committee. The group aims to revitalize Main Street by adding new sidewalks, lights, and green growing things. The committee will also sponsor an After Harvest Festival this fall, to raise money and the town’s spirits.
Water, No Whiskey
Lewis & Clark Expeditions, the Alamosa bottling company, announced its intention to bottle only water, not whiskey as originally planned. The company’s water use application went to court, as other water users objected. The company now says it’ll only bottle San Luis Valley water.
Gateway Buys Home
It’s semi-official: The new Gateway Center in Alamosa will be housed in the old Kmart building. The facility will include a visitors’ center, a museum, and a convention center. Once the city council agrees to the sale, remodeling can commence. The center could open in one to two years in the 40,000-square-foot building.
Which Way?
Everyone agrees that Alamosa’s Main Street is a mess, but not everyone agrees on a solution. A new idea is being considered by the city council and CDOT to make Main Street one-way going west and Sixth Street (one block south of Main) one-way going east. This would unclog Main while improving business along Sixth. Public input is sought on the matter, as well as on ideas for improving the intersection of U.S. 160 and 285, another traffic nightmare.
Brief Briefs
Dr. Richard Wueste is the new president of Adams State College. Dr. Wueste has run a management consulting business and worked in college administration in Washington, New York, and Wisconsin.
A train derailed on La Veta Pass, inducing two men to jump from the train. Ten cars derailed, spilling their load of grain, but no one was hurt in the accident.
The snowpack for the Rio Grande Basin is 107 percent. Good news, compared to last year’s 57 percent.
Terry Whelan resigned as South Fork town manager at the request of the Town Board. The town is searching for a replacement. Meanwhile, Monte Vista’s new city manager, Don van Wormer, has been hired from Kremmling.
St. Thomas Episcopal Church in Alamosa will get some restoration work, thanks to a matching grant from the state historical fund.
Dr. Robert Linden, Alamosa, won the 2004 Laureate Award from the state chapter of the American College of Physicians.
A new Lions Club has formed in the Valley. The Sangre de Cristo Lions will join 45,000 clubs worldwide in providing aid to the visually impaired.
Pastor Curtis Hartshorn has published his first book, Reaching New Levels of Faith.
The SLV Regional Airport in Alamosa has avoided the funding cuts other small airports are suffering. If funding isn’t increased next year, however, the airport could be required to provide a co-pay to federal funds.
Alamosa County’s 12 bridges are in good shape, according to engineers hired by CDOT.
Four teachers from Tokyo are learning and teaching in the Valley. The four women are from the Tokyo Women’s College of Physical Education.