Taking a burning tree down is something of glory and thrills; satisfying to say the least.

In the name of facilitating economic growth in Grandview, city and county officials have agreed to fund the design of a Wilson Gulch Road that could provide quicker access for those traveling to the Three Springs sub-division. Utilizing the recently constructed overpasses on US 160—the Bridge to Nowhere and its counterpart directly to the west—the Wilson Gulch Road would run from the planned roundabout north of the Bridge to Nowhere to the top of the Gulch near Mercy Medical Center.  At that point it would…

Want to help conserve open space around Grandview Ridge? You can make a difference by signing the petition. Help us reach our goal of 1,000 signatures by the end of the year. It’s about preventing the construction of a paved road across public land (BLM) that many of us consider to be Durango’s best open space. This petition will be presented to the La Plata Board of County Commissioners and the County Manager in the event that the idea is promoted by them again. The…

The Durango City Council passed a resolution at their last meeting supporting an application to Great Outdoors Colorado for grant funding to help acquire a parcel on Raider Ridge. Durango’s Parks Open Space and Trails Development Manager Kevin Hall requested the resolution July 20th for helping to acquire a 20-acre ridgeline parcel just above 8th Ave. While Raider Ridge and the meadow on the parcel are popular to bears, wildlife and people alike, the meadow there has drawn crowds for less obvious reasons in the…

City to close on FLC Board of Trustees properties in September Other open-space acquisitions are a long-term waiting game In the City’s ongoing quest towards preserving open space in Horse Gulch, it will be closing on three Fort Lewis College Board of Trustees properties totaling 366 acres in September, a Durango official said at a meeting Monday. At a Natural Lands Preservation and Advisory Board Meeting, Durango’s Parks, Open Space and Trails Development Manager Kevin Hall announced the purchase while referencing a map, explaining how…

Dear Community Member, It’s time to start thinking outside the box regarding Durango’s transportation needs. We may soon have an opportunity to help the City extend its Animas River Trail into Grandview. The Federal Government has made $600 million in new funds available under the TIGER II (Transportation Investment Generating Economic Recovery) Discretionary Grant Program, and $140 million of the available funding is set aside for rural areas.  Eligible projects include highway and bridge projects, public transportation projects, passenger and freight rail projects, and port…

An editorial this week by Missy Votel, Co-Editor of The Durango Telegraph, talks about the confusion of now knowing that the telegraph lines going up alongside Telegraph Trail are really telephone lines that were put there around the beginning of the 20th century.  What implications will this news have for the name of The Durango Telegraph? Here’s her editorial: A case of teleconfusion http://www.durangotelegraph.com/telegraph.php?inc=/10-06-17/editorial.htm

Read these comments recently made on a Durango Herald comment section following an article on the City’s recent purchase of open space in Horse Gulch. THIS is why we’ve chosen to become defenders of our own central park. Horse Gulch needs no two-strokes or fender benders, only plenty of solitude and trail defenders. Sunday, June 13, 2010 at 5:43:11 AM Martin says… For medical reasons I cannot hike or bike. I wish this could be open to vehicles. Instead of just a few sport activities.…

Alleged telegraph line was really a telephone line Don’t let the name of the Telegraph Trail or the associated local weekly newspaper in Durango fool you as to what actually runs up Horse Gulch and over the hill past Grandview: an old telephone line. Yes, this monumental, earth-trembling revelation is true, as was confirmed this week by the few local long-timers who worked on the lines, were served by the lines, are still alive and are still living in La Plata County. Built during the…

The City is scheduled to close on the 115-acre FLC Foundation property in Horse Gulch on June 4, Kevin Hall, Durango’s Parks, Open Space and Trails Development Manager, said at a meeting Monday. Considered by many as part of Durango’s central park of open space, the property is rectangular shaped, running east to west, encompassing the southeast portion of the Meadow Loop. It also includes the very bottom of Anasazi Trail and Telegraph Trail. In an effort to further protect the property as open space,…

Given our current economic recession and the poor parcelization of properties in Grandview that’s taken place over the past 18 months, Assistant Director of City Planning Tim McHarg said at a meeting Monday that the City cannot help provide the ailing subdivision’s infrastructure. Instead, the City has decided to use its limited resources in a more strategic and focussed approach to ensure that the historic downtown Durango area remains vibrant and healthy, he said. In the joint City and County study session, McHarg laid down…

A group of students, public officials and concerned citizens brought historical perspective and ideas for preserving open space in Horse Gulch at an educational event Wednesday night. Also, public comments from the audience included widespread opposition towards the proposed Grandview connection.

As a resident who owns real estate on High Lama Lane, Chairman County Commissioner Wally White has a fiduciary conflict of interest because his vote in favor of extending the road with the Grandview connection could result in the paving of the road. Such a road improvement from dirt to asphalt where he lives would conceivably result in the property value of his home increasing or changing value. An approved Grandview connection could also  change the value of his home upon condemnation proceedings if the…

This is Daryl Crites at the 12/21/09 La Plata Board of County Commissioners meeting, advocating for the construction of a paved road connecting Ewing Mesa with Grandview by Mercy Medical Center.   1:07:37 ……I think this is a really positive thing. I think it’s something that the county and the land owner has worked together. And it’s the first step. And I’m a little surprised that the city has taken a position that this is a bad thing….. Another review of his comments and other…

As drafted, the current letter of intent between La Plata County and Oakridge Energy is a subjective, biased statement of how the County and Oakridge Energy wish to see development proceed from this point forward. While it will create public discussion, it will also speed up the process of developing a Grandview Connection and properties on Ewing Mesa, as it is a dedication of rights of way/easement to put in the road. Commissioner Hotter propelled the idea of putting in a road through Horse Gulch,…