Dear Editor: I attended the League of Women Voters forum on EPURA Monday evening at Town Hall. The League handled the evening with its usual professionalism and objectivity and it is too bad that, because of the weather, the room was not filled. I was struck by the decorum exhibited by the six panelists, three on each side of the issue, and the respect-even friendship-that they showed for each other. It is ...

To The Editor: Have you noticed the tenor of the debate over EPURA? 1. Some of us viewed a film regarding the abuses of eminent domain under urban renewal in Kansas. 2. We've heard of the abuses of urban renewal in Loveland, Ft. Collins and Denver. 3. The State of Colorado has lauded Estes Park as the example of urban renewal at its best! 4. With the help of redevelopment, Estes Park has become the #1 mount ...

To the Editor, The map and areas involved published by the Town in preparation for the EPURA special election is far from informative. The EPURA "blighted area" (shown in red) is only 0.49 sq. mi. but it includes most of the valuable commercial retail real estate in the town. It even snakes its way to include Stanley Fairgrounds, which is owned by the town and hence pays no property tax. It was obviously in ...

The Voters Forum sponsored by the League of Women Voters on the future of the Estes Park Urban Renewal Agency (EPURA) will be Monday, December 7 at 7 p.m. in the Town Boardroom, which is a few doors down from the main office at 170 MacGregor Avenue. Representatives from both sides will make a presentation and answer questions from the audience. “We had such a strong turnout at our regular League meeting on ...

Dear Editor, This year our “Around the World” Book Fair was a huge success. I would like to offer a huge "World Wide" thank you to all who helped make this fair a wonderful event. Thank you to the following businesses and individuals for donating prizes, food or services to our fair: The Egg & I, Starbucks, STAR Video, Mary Jane’s Closet, Geppetto's Toy Store, Smokin Dave's Barbeque, Sweet Basilico Cafe ...

To The Editor: I believe that I and most of your readers chose to live in this beautiful valley both for the grand vistas as well as the abundant wildlife. But, now, I fear, that the latter has a real danger of disappearing. On Monday, 11/9/09, without the benefit of pre-announcements or advertising, a meeting was held to give final approval to the new Estes Valley Development Code Section 7.8, Wildlife Hab ...

To The Editor: Last week I had the great pleasure of celebrating Veterans Day at the Estes Valley Memorial Gardens with many from Estes Park. A friend and I, recent homeowners in town, were blown away by the demonstration of all that is dear to Americans: • volunteering time and talent • faith • patriotism. People of all ages and interests were there. We especially enjoyed the music and Vern Mertz' first-pe ...

To The Editor: The purpose for which EPURA was mandated seems to have been lost. EPURA's purpose was not to augment tourism but to restore a town that had been severely damaged by a flood caused by an earthen dam breaking. That dam had been reported as damaged several years earlier. It was therefore just that federal money would be granted to the town to initiate the process of restoration of the town. Incl ...