Brief by Marcia Darnell
San Luis Valley – May 2005 – Colorado Central Magazine
KRZA Kicks
Alamosa’s public radio station, KRZA, won three awards from the Colorado Broadcasters Association. The little station-that-could took second place honors in website design and image marketing campaign, and first place for single event news coverage, for interim station manager Kristine Taylor’s coverage of the Taylor Ranch (no relation).
It was KRZA’s first time in the competition, and the staff took honors in every category it entered.
“We were very excited about it,” Taylor said. “It’s nice for our 25th anniversary.”
Water Woes
Alamosa citizens face a water rate hike of about 5 percent, the first increase since 1982. Bigger problems loom, however, with the city’s cleanup costs. The arsenic levels in the city water will cost over $16 million to correct, and grants to alleviate the financial burden are hard to find. In addition, the city water has been found to contain too much fluoride, which can cause dental problems in children.
The city also has to cough up extra funds for a road extension that went over budget. The project, funded jointly by Alamosa County, ended up costing almost double the estimate.
Silver and Gold
Valley Food Co-op celebrated its 25th birthday in March with food, music, and speeches. Considering that natural food co-ops in major cities often don’t live that long, this is a remarkable milestone.
Splashland, the geothermal swimming pool in Alamosa, turns 50 this year. The pool, now a non-profit entity, requires a lot of upgrades before its mid-May opening. The board has asked the county for $2,000 to help with the work.
Care Crisis
Tumbleweed Learning Center in Alamosa closed suddenly, leaving 108 kids without daycare. The center’s director and longtime Valley resident Shirley White, 55, left town. The center’s coffers were empty and White’s whereabouts are unknown. White’s husband called her actions a “midlife crisis.”
However business, like nature, abhors a vacuum, and the ABCs and 123s Daycare Center opened within days of Tumbleweed’s closure.
Brief Briefs
The “public morals” clause in Alamosa’s business licenses (CC April 2005) has been removed due to, well, public morals.
The Valley chapter of Habitat for Humanity placed third in the U.S. (per capita) for aluminum recycling. The efforts netted over 10,000 pounds of aluminum in 2004 and a $15,000 prize. The chapter is building its 10th house in the Valley, its first in Mineral County.
The Silver Thread Byway Committee will create a website to promote tourism in the area. A $50,000 grant from Colorado Scenic Byways made it possible.
The art deco-style Husung Hardware building, on Main Street in Alamosa, was added to the city’s registry of historic places.
Businesses on Colorado 17 are uniting to fight the state’s plan to remove their roadside advertising. The 25-year-old law could mean the death knell for several tourist attractions.
Parents in San Luis are mulling the option of a charter school.
Alamosan Mary Van Pelt authored a chapter in a college textbook, Social Work in Rural Communities.
The SLV Museum Board chose not to join an umbrella development group. The board wants its own digs for a new museum, preferably at the old Rio Grande Motorway building.
The Alamosa School District may cut staff and freeze salaries next year due to a decrease in state funding.
The state Dept. of Labor ruled that Richard Gomez was not responsible for his dismissal as executive director of the Cumbres & Toltec Scenic Railroad.
Charles Thomas repaid the $180,000 he took from Manassa Ditch Co., but stockholders are upset that no criminal charges have been filed against him.
