Things are getting ridiculous

My fellow citizens,

Regardless of political party, we need to become proactive. We ALL need to find our birth certificates. We ALSO need to apply for and receive an American passport. PERIOD.

If any one of us wants our votes to actually count, we must be proactive and possess these documents. Things are getting ridiculous, and we need to be prepared. Thanks for reading.

Julie Radcliffe, Divide

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Road work needed

Eleven Mile State Park draws thousands of visitors each year, making dependable road access vital to Park County’s economy and public safety. While the county is completing the previously unpaved section connecting County Roads 90 and 92, significant portions of CR 92 remain unfinished and continue to raise concerns.

More than 600 signatures were gathered several years ago urging the county to prioritize improvements. Residents are grateful that some long-awaited work is underway, but many still question why other sections have been delayed or overlooked.

Residents report that the original contractor, allegedly working from an inverted map, chip-sealed the wrong section of CR 92. That portion reportedly received only one layer instead of the two required for durability, leading to potholes and early deterioration. Magnesium chloride applied the previous year is said to have failed to control dust, creating visibility hazards, coating vegetation, and possibly contributing to tree damage.

The county has also removed the surface of CR 92 through Eleven Mile State Park but maintains that the State of Colorado is responsible for that segment. Consequently, the road through the park, and the remaining stretch toward County Road 23, remains incomplete. Questions persist about which agency is responsible for maintenance, where jurisdiction changes occur, and who is accountable for repairs beyond park boundaries.

Residents are asking for transparency regarding project scope, funding, and timelines. Public access to plans, contracts, and inspection reports would help restore confidence.

Residents with concerns can contact the Park County Road and Bridge Department at 719-836-4277.

Maryann McLendon, Park County

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Words with meaning

I must apologize. I have been using a word that many Americans might be unfamiliar with. Fascist. Americans are more familiar with NAZIS. These are people who followed a political party which espoused Fascism during World War II. Fascism is characterized by rigid one-party dictatorship, contempt for individual rights, forceful suppression of opposition, private economic enterprise under centralized government control, belligerent nationalism (in our case, Christian nationalism), militarism, racism, etc.

This form of thinking justifies followers killing a woman, whose last words were “I’m not mad at you”, because they are annoyed. This thinking justifies killing a man (helping a woman who had been pushed down into the snow), by a gang beating, and then being shot eleven times to ensure Americans get the message. Rest in peace, Alex.

These kinds of actions used to be ferociously resisted in this country, but now we have elected a Fascist to lead us. People who don’t know their history… – make good nazis.

And the Night of the Long Knives proves that not even loyalty will protect one from the whims of such Glorious Leaders. “Where are they taking you, my son?” The King sends his men to war. The suckers and losers do good work.

Richard Allee, Florissant

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WPSD’s prioritization problems

I listened to the July 23rd WPSD BOE Work Session (along with just 8 other individuals) and walked away even more concerned with the district’s current leadership. Here were the takeaways:

1. The outside experts that were brought in to discuss the interest-free loan program confirmed that the district will be required to pass through funds to the charter school equitably and equally (1/12th), monthly. This reinforces what the CDE and Treasury have said. Will WPSD’s CFO continue to push for noncompliant payments at the expense of charter families and children?
2. The district is on fire (financially speaking). Difficult decisions need to be made, and urgently. Rather than address those difficult decisions during this meeting the BOE opined on irrelevant details regarding Merit for over half of the meeting. They proposed renegotiating the Facilities Use Agreement (which doesn’t expire until mid-2027) and even suggested revisiting Merit Academy’s 30-year charter. How does that help your dire financial situation?
3. The BOE demonstrated a very concerning lack of knowledge. At one point one of the outside experts had to inform the board what cash reserve threshold is required under Tabor (it’s alarming that they had to ask!). This should be BOE governance 101 level knowledge.

The BOE’s current obsession with tinkering with the charter school while failing to address their own immediate issues is concerning. I’m old enough to recall when the last board was criticized for spending too much time dwelling on Merit.

Jameson Dion, Woodland Park