Estes Valley Voice Podcast

Commentary by Elizabeth Jameson

Each of us is limited. We have blind spots, we miss information, and we value some things at the expense of others.

In this time of deep division and uncertainty in our country, many of us are searching for meaningful connection and understanding. As I reflected on what we can do to contribute to civility, locally and nationally, I was reminded of my week at Ring Lake Ranch in Wyoming learning about the stunning petroglyphs—rock carvings some 4-8,000 years old. Our leader was Craig Childs, one of the Estes Valley Library’s recent One Book, One Village authors, sharing rock art insights based on decades of first-hand study.

Craig shared much, but two things particularly surprised and intrigued me. Before walking up close, Craig stands at a respectful distance, acknowledging petroglyphs and giving them time to acknowledge him. Once he does approach, he immediately turns around, looking at what the petroglyphs face to better understand their context. I wondered how our community and conversations might be enhanced by a similar approach. 

Approaching with respect. Just as we don’t really know why the petroglyphs came to be or what they meant to those who created them, each person we meet is a mystery. By fostering openness, we can embrace differences rather than fearing them. We can choose how we think about, speak about and address those who hold different perspectives, remembering they are precious fellow human beings.

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https://estesvalleyvoice.com/2024/10/25/bring-civility-respect-and-an-ethic-of-love-to-lifes-challenges/

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The Estes Valley Fire Protection District and the Estes Park Hospital Boards need to respect the electors in the Estes Valley

“It is declared to be a matter of statewide concern and the policy of this state that the formation of public policy is public business and may not be conducted in secret.” 

• C.R.S. §24-6-101 (Colorado Sunshine Act of 1972)

On Oct. 17 the Estes Valley Voice asked the Estes Valley Fire Protection District for the minutes and the recording of the executive session meeting held on Oct. 9. During that meeting the EVFPD board of directors met to interview three candidates for the job of fire chief and then discussed which candidate to hire. 

According to the Colorado Open Meetings Law, a public agency or special district governing board’s decisions cannot be made in executive session meetings. Minutes must be taken of executive sessions and a recording of the executive session must be made and maintained for 90 days.

The EVFPD board of directors notified the members of the fire district on Oct. 10 that a new chief, Paul Capo, had been chosen, and then, on Oct. 15, the EVFPD announced that Capo would be the new fire chief.

The Estes Valley Voice told the EVFPD board that, as required by CORA, we expected the records to be shared with us within three business days. 

After that time, we would file a lawsuit in the Larimer County District Court and ask the court to conduct an in camera review of the minutes and the recording of the executive session meeting related to how the Estes Valley Fire Protection District decided to hire Capo as the next fire chief. 

The Estes Valley Voice does not object to the selection of Capo to serve as the next chief. He is a dedicated firefighter who has demonstrated a willingness to take the job seriously. Capo has built an impressive training program for EVFPD that educates firefighters from the Estes Valley and many surrounding communities. The Estes Valley is fortunate to have Capo step up to serve as the chief and, considering the myriad problems in the department over the past two years, the community should rally behind Capo as its new chief...

Read full story here:

https://estesvalleyvoice.com/2024/10/23/the-publics-business-must-be-done-publicly/

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Democracy, documentaries, duties, and details

(By Gary Hall)

First and foremost, VOTE!

This happens to one of the Very Important Elections, for the USA, for Colorado, for Larimer County, and for Estes.

The best advice I can give is to keep your eyes and ears and mind open, stay balanced through all of the dialogue and diatribes, and focus on the long future as you fill out your ballot. Generations from now, what will be the long-term results of the choices we make in the next weeks? This is the USA, and voting is as American a thing as you can do.

Whoever gets elected, we must find ways to work together. That IS possible, despite rumors to the contrary.

It takes vision and willingness from everyone involved — and the ability to not let emotions take over the discussions — to bring our diverse viewpoints together. Only then can we work toward common goals and a unity that sometimes seems impossible or at least elusive. We are the United States, let’s unite. I’m here to help do so at the local level.

There are two events upcoming that speak to these challenges. On Oct. 28 at 7 p.m. there’s an Estes Valley Voice-sponsored screening at the Historic Park Theatre of a documentary called “Trusted Sources.” This film considers the challenges of misinformation and the criticality of accuracy and truth in news sources. There’s a panel discussion after the showing in which I’ll participate. The event is free, but please RSVP.

Then, there’s a showing of “Undivide Us” on Oct. 30 at 5:30 p.m. at the Estes Park Museum. This documentary “challenges the idea that citizens who disagree are not capable of civil conversation, and demonstrates the truth that, even in our differences, the American experiment is still alive and well.”  Sounds good to me. Let’s do it. To register, please click here.

A unified America is America the Beautiful. We need to all pull together despite our big differences of opinion on social agendas.

We all want a healthy planet to raise our kids and future generations. “Environmentalism” is not a political word, it’s a human venture that affects all other goals and projects. If we don’t maintain this Planet Earth, all other considerations fall away. So, how can we educate not only our children but also our guests, on the way in, and the way out, to raise their sense of protecting the beauty of this valley and beyond?

Visit Estes Park has embedded goals in their operating plan to help focus on the latter. Good, that’s a step in the right direction.

Despite our good works in this region, an Oct.16 report from the International Energy Agency says that fossil fuels are expected to remain a dominant part of the energy mix through mid-century.

While we expect to be at 85% green in Estes by 2030 through PRPA, the IEA report shows that fossil fuels are still projected to make up 58 percent of the energy mix in 2050. This makes it all the more important that those who can convert economically and dependably, should convert.

I network ceaselessly. I was interviewed by three seniors at the high school about immigration. I participated in the interviews for a new fire chief. I met with various citizens and merchants, state and county and federal politicians, peers from different municipalities, and much more...

Read full story here: 

https://estesvalleyvoice.com/2024/10/22/elections-emotions-environments/

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Today we're talking with Dr. Cory Workman, an experienced audiologist, and owner of the community hearing center, here in Estes Park, Colorado.  In today's conversation, Dr. Workman shares his passion not only for addressing hearing loss and treatment but for improved overall health as well as helpful communication techniques, leading to better relationships and overall quality of life in general. 

We think you're going to find this conversation extremely enlightening. 

So glad you're here.  Come on in!

Community Hearing Center: https://estesparkaudiology.com/

Living Well with Dementia Educational Symposium : https://dementiatogether.org/events/living-well-with-dementia-educational-symposium/

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Lodging taxes in the local marking district were up by 1.5%

Estes Park saw plenty of visitors this year through August. They were just more cautious when they opened their wallets this year than they were in 2023.

Since early in the year, monthly sales reports have been showing decreased sales throughout the Town of Estes Park and with the mid-year report now on the books, it’s official. Sales tax receipts for the town are continuing a downward trend.

July tax receipts were down 4.10% from those seen in 2023. Overall, 2024 sales tax collections from January through July are 3.71% less than those received during the same time period in 2023.

Sales tax receipts in Estes Park usually peak with July receipts, although August and September collections normally are equal to, or better than, those seen in June.

Areas seeing the largest decreases in business as reflected by sales taxes remitted are in automotive (down 17.83%), construction (down 10.37%) and lodging (down 7.03%). However, Lodging taxes in the local marketing district boundaries, a larger area than that encompassed by the Town of Estes Park, were up 1.5% for the same period.

The area with the largest increase in business was reported in groceries (up 25.55% in July; 9.93% from January through July).

Sales tax receipts are not considered to be the only key indicator for how the town is faring.

Town Grant Coordinator Sharla Beesley collects and produces a monthly economic dashboard that shows selected indicators of overall economic health of the town’s economy.

Her report shows that through August, compared to 2023, nearly 8% more people were counted at the Visitor Center, and 6.59% more people used the town’s free shuttle system.

About 4% more cars traveled U.S. Highway 36 into Estes Park, and national park visitation increased close to 3.59% over 2023. Traffic on U.S. Highway 34 was down more than 17%, but the highway was closed for 10 days due to the Alexander Mountain fire and counters on that route were deactivated on July 15 for CDOT’s resurfacing project.

Through August, total number of business licenses were up 4.38% and the number of new business licenses issued increased 18.5% over 2023.

Related

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Nick Mollé and The Rocky Mountain Channel will present the documentary film, Wild Ride on  October 8th in The Historic Park Theatre. Admission is free and the open house begins at 5:30 in the lobby of the theatre.

Come take a Wild Ride with The Rocky Mountain Channel!  Hang with Nick, Sean, Lauren and friends for an open house at the Historic Park Theatre on Tuesday, October 8th for a movie on us! 

The fun begins at 5:30 with a gathering in the lobby of the coolest and longest-operating movie theatre in the country! There’s a cash bar and the movie is free. All are invited as our gift to the community we love.  Come share your Peak to Peak stories, relax in the new comfy seats, and enjoy the film.

Nick explains, “Wild Ride, it’s a different movie. It's actually a little more like I got infected by the ghost of Anthony Bourdain, who told me to take the Peak to Peak Highway and encounter all the characters along the way.”

 We asked Nick what made Wild Ride different from his other movies.  

“Well, because I decided to let loose and just be myself.  Be a little edgy.  We really enjoy our movies and our stories about wildlife and the outdoors and the environment, but this one is about people along the way, and the Peak to Peak Highway, and what makes them tick.  From my earliest memories of the Peak to Peak Highway, it has never been a smooth ride.  It's been a wild ride.  It's like there's one character after another…”

 When asked about Alison Krauss's appearance in the film Nick shared,

“Actually, I filmed Alison Krauss in 1993 in Estes Park and that's where this footage is from, and it was great.  That was the last Folks Festival that Estes Park had.”

Produced and directed by Nick Mollé and Sean Doherty, Wild Ride is an edgy, somewhat humorous, and moderately irreverent journey along the Peak-to-Peak Highway. The heterogeneous cast of characters and their stories are supported by the penetrating music of Clay Rose and Gasoline Lollipops along with a special appearance of The Blue Canyon Boys, and, as mentioned, Alison Krauss. There’s also an appearance by Cowboy Brad Fitch and Mark Rashid.

Come join the fun and visit the quirky destinations along this only-in-Colorado experience as a guest of the Rocky Mountain Channel at The Historic Park Theatre. Doors open at 5:30.

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I get a lot of questions from groups and individuals. When I know the answer, I answer in real-time. Some answers might be of broader interest. The items below came from my engagement with the EP Women’s Club, the Rotary Clubs, the QUO Ecology Panel, Mayor’s Coffee, Trustee Talks, Town Board meetings, individual meetings, and many other interactions.

Downtown Parades and Events: The Catch the Glow parade and Halloween are planned as usual. The Rodeo Parade in 2025 will occur, though there is some discussion about the best place for it. There were some equine and staffing advantages related to having it close to the Events Center.

The status of the Scottish/Irish Festival parade in 2025 will be determined by Peggy Young, the leader of the festival. I very much enjoy that great and popular event.

Virginia and Riverside eastbound turns merging: A citizen asked about some merging murkiness at Virginia Drive and Riverside, where traffic simultaneously turning right onto eastbound Elkhorn. This should now be clarified now with the new pavement markings. (Virginia Drive eastbound turners should yield.)...   

Read full story here:

https://estesvalleyvoice.com/2024/10/02/it-has-been-a-very-busy-september/

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In context as mayor, I’m not talking about our basic philosophical or spiritual beliefs that guide our path through life. I’m talking about our ability to hear various opinions, to gather information from many sources, and to have all of that input change how we think about a topic.

It’s not a moral compass, it’s a practical compass. Your input, when it affects my opinion, doesn’t throw me off my true north. Instead, you give me a wider and more thorough understanding of the issue at hand. You’ve enhanced the sum of my understanding.

I’m glad to get input right now regarding hosted short-term rentals. In our preliminary look at the Aug. 27 board meeting, we allowed community comment – it was excellent insight that added several revelations to my understanding. Our ace Town Clerk Jackie Williamson presented her research of how other municipalities and counties define and manage hosted short-term rentals — it was wonderfully enlightening. It’s still a very malleable subject. We’ll have another study session in the not-far future where we’ll be presented with several different options.

I like projects at this stage, when all possibilities are on the table. And this topic is important to our vacation community, and very important to many of our residents for their economic survival...

Read full story here -

https://estesvalleyvoice.com/2024/09/07/mayors-message-adjusting-my-compass/

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“There is no such thing as a dumb question.” Carl Sagan

As any reporter schooled in the “journalistic six” – who, what, when, where, why, and how – will tell you there are no dumb questions. Questions are a journalist’s stock-in-trade.

Excluding the endless fusillade of questions by a two-year old, the astronomer and planetary scientist Carl Sagan wrote, “There are naive questions, tedious questions, ill-phrased questions, questions put after inadequate self-criticism. But every question is a cry to understand the world. There is no such thing as a dumb question.”

With that introduction, the Estes Valley Voice editors and writers would like to invite your good questions, and we will do our best to ferret out the answer or answers.

For example, one Estes Valley Voice reader reached out and asked about the Town of Estes Park’s policy and the cost of allowing police officers to drive a town owned police vehicle home...

Read full story here -

https://estesvalleyvoice.com/2024/08/19/good-question/

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“There’s an old saying that a newspaper is a town talking to itself.”  Vince Bzdek, The Denver Gazette

This was a major week for the Estes Valley Voice. Our digital newsroom has been up and running for five weeks. Well, running may not be the right word. Taking baby steps after initially crawling is more like it. And we have so much to learn about what we are doing.

On Monday evening the Estes Chamber helped us to have an official launch event with a traditional ribbon cutting. We then hosted a screening of a powerful documentary “Stripped for Parts: American Journalism on the Brink” at the Reel Mountain Theater. More than 100 people joined us to celebrate and watch the film, far exceeding our wildest expectations.

From the bottom of my heart as editor—and if I can take the liberty for this one moment to speak for Suzy Blackhurst, our senior editor—thank you to our creative team and to our editorial board, and to the members of the community who have encouraged us...

Read full story here - 

https://estesvalleyvoice.com/2024/08/09/thank-you-and-onward/

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