Brief by Marcia Darnell
San Luis Valley – November 2005 – Colorado Central Magazine
SLV Shows Heart
Valley residents pitched in to help hurricane victims on the Gulf Coast in a variety of ways. A group of Alamosans held a yard sale and bake sale; kids in several schools collected money for victims; several people in Monte Vista held a sew/knit-a-thon to make blankets; Rakhra Mushroom Farm employees drove food and water to Houston; and a bookstore manager helped coördinate rescue efforts and foster homes for animals affected by the disaster. A few victims have relocated to the Valley, finding help and homes far out of the reach of monster tides.
More Suits
The proposed Village at Wolf Creek is under more legal fire. Two more lawsuits have been filed to stop the development. Colorado Wild, a Durango based eco-group, is suing the U.S. Forest Service, saying the agency improperly approved the development; the other suit is to halt the building permanently.
Runner Stumbles
Josef Lucero, running for mayor of Alamosa, was found to be in violation of zoning regs. The dentist is running a dental lab and office from one home while living in another, which is against the home-business laws in the city. Lucero plans to request a zone change.
Case Closing?
A suspect has been indicted in the 1993 murder of Lela Buhr of La Jara. Gary Padilla is charged with the notorious crime, which apparently resulted from a burglary. Buhr, 60, was smothered in her home, which was the office for her family’s trucking company. Padilla was nabbed in Jefferson County
City $$$
Alamosa is looking at a $1 million tab for the conversion of Main and Sixth streets to one-way streets. U.S. 160’s planned passing lanes are on hold, as is completion of work on Wolf Creek Pass. Both politicians and drivers are hoping for passage of Referenda C and D for an influx of highway dollars.
Financial controversy also surrounds Alamosa’s under-used community rec center. Seen by many as a boondoggle, the city now wants more bucks to install a weight room in the facility. In the face of public scorn, the city council is reluctant to raise taxes for the project.
Brief Briefs
Costilla County is considering a 1-year moratorium on development along the Rio Grande.
Alamosa’s county treasurer resigned. Charlene Cockrum is under indictment for theft and embezzlement.
The Saguache County commissioners have changed the land code to accommodate a couple’s new subdivision. Approval of the conversion of farmland to residential lots required what county administrator Wendi Maez called “cleaning up” the application process.
Adams State College will take part in the Dead Man Walking School Theatre Project. A book club, a performance of the play, an art show, a film series, and a visit by Sister Helen Prejean will comprise the project.
The Colorado Conservation Trust reports that 341,909 acres have been preserved in the San Luis Valley, which is a sizable chunk of the 1.6 million acres conserved in Colorado.
Center School is asking for donations of musical instruments. The band students outnumber the available music makers.
Chris Heffernan is the new state health inspector for the Valley.
The Great Sand Dunes marked its first anniversary as a national park with a free day.
Alamosa City Councilor Charles Griego was re-appointed to the state’s Energy and Mineral Impact Assistance Advisory Committee.
ASC reported an increase in enrollment of 6 percent. Alamosa School District also has an increase, which means more money for the schools.
The Valley received a $120,000 Habitat Conservation Planning Assistance grant from the U.S. Dept. of the Interior.
Kristine Taylor was promoted to general manager of public radio station KRZA.
U.S. Sen. Wayne Allard recognized Ralph Curtis (profiled in the September, 2005, edition of Colorado Central) on the Senate floor for his work.
Mary Ellen Fleming received the Diversity Award from the CSU Coöperative Extension.