Letters to Editor: Community urged 
to attend meeting 
on river zoning vote

By Staff
Wednesday, September 5, 2012

Tonight at 7 p.m. in the Grand Junction city hall council chambers, the issue of how this community wants to utilize the banks of the Colorado River vs. Brady Trucking comes up again for a zoning vote. All community group members and citizens should plan to be there.

Zoning decisions will be based on private/public property access, future business, future utilization of river property, public park/recreational use and the right of the river and riparian habitat to exist. These are tall orders to assess. The community has offered several approaches to this dilemma, and Brady Trucking has rebuffed all.

Let me draw a picture of the area without Brady. I’ll start with Los Colonias Park, a long-planned public park development and high-priority, logical extension to the development of the river bike/walk path, the upgraded Riverside Parkway and the improving transition of our southern city area.

An outdoor amphitheater will be built, flanking the property. I see our schools, orchestra and community groups utilizing the amphitheater for concerts, lectures and even thespian work such as Shakespeare. I see musicians spontaneously jamming where kids can listen and skip rocks.

I can smell the diesel fumes and hear the roar of the diesel engines of Brady Trucking oil-service fluid trucks and watch the birds take flight in fear. The music stops.

The Los Colonias Park plan will help with the rapid erosion of the riverbanks by encouraging indigenous plant and wildlife species to reclaim habitat, thus supporting our water quality and promoting public health. Brady Trucking cannot do that.

The Chamber of Commerce supports Brady because it is a business and forgets its responsibility to the many businesses enhanced by having a Los Colonias Park to draw tourism and recreation onto public lands, the largest sustained economic sector in Mesa County.

BENITA PHILLIPS

Palisade

Keep district’s children
out of political tug-of-war

I found the article ” : All busing …” concerning. Not because of the position that District 51 Safety and Transportation Director Tim Leon has been put in, but because of the comments by Mesa Valley Education Association President Jim Smyth.

His glib response “…now folks are realizing those repercussions…” is irresponsible for someone in his position and indicates he is more concerned with lashing out at those he blames for the current budget woes than finding solutions or the safety of our children.

Not all parents have flexible work schedules or options for transporting their young ones to school, so some children will undoubtedly be forced to cross very busy roads such as Patterson with little or no supervision.

Yes, the measure failed, and, yes, tough sacrifices are going to continue, but referring to our children and their safety as if they are pawns in a political tug-of-war because the measure he supported failed is inexcusable.

The measure did not lose because voters are ignorant or self-absorbed, as Smyth seems to assume. Maybe it was because the measure was overly vague as to how money would be spent, or because it lacked solid support among District 51 employees.

Tough choices need to be made, but never at the expense of the safety of our children. Anyone who would relish the legitimate fears of parents is insensitive and should not speak on behalf of any organization associated with District 51 or its employees.

I voted for the ballot measure last time, but because of Smyth’s comments I can understand how some voters chose not to and may be opposed to do so in the future.

 

BRAD MCCLOUD

Grand Junction

Protect organic farm
and its healthy produce from bedrock crushing operation

As a naturopathic doctor and chapter leader of the Roaring Fork Valley Weston A. Price Foundation chapter, I am passionate about the availability of healthy organic food, locally produced in our valley. This is why I am concerned about the proposed bedrock crushing operation of Bedrock Resources LLC.

Eagle Springs Organic Farm has recently achieved certified organic status after much work and expense, and this status, as well as the profitability of the entire enterprise would be threatened by this new use of the adjacent property.

As Eagle Springs Organic Farm is already established and this new land use would directly threaten its viability, I do not see how you can support it.

According to the Unified Land Use Resolution Standard 7-103, “The nature, scale, and intensity of a proposed use must be compatible with adjacent land uses and will not result in an adverse impact to adjacent land.”

I see no reason to believe that this proposed land use change would not threaten this established business.

As a resident of this valley, I value locally produced healthy food, I support local businesses, and I support the security of local food for our health and national security. Please do not approve this land use change permit for Bedrock Resources and encourage them to find a more suitable location for this operation.

 

JODY POWELL

Basalt