Worried about the future
Dear Editor:I have written to Mayor Helen Klanderud and to the members of the City Council to no avail.We have four lanes running up to Buttermilk Ski Area, and resuming four lanes on Main Street, only to provoke “bumper-to-bumper” arriving in the morning and leaving in the afternoon. Helen has written me, saying that, “Many locals don’t want the four lane into town.”Excuse me, but if you request a referendum, consult those of us who live outside the city in Pitkin County and commute into town, not just those who live in the city.I also wrote Helen Klanderud and the members of the City Council to consider an underground parking structure beneath Wagner Park, entering from one side, exiting to the other side, just as Mayor Bugsy Barnard attempted to do in the 1960s. Every medieval town and city in Europe has underground parking; in Madrid the parking is under Plaza Mayor; in Nimes, France the underground is adjacent to a magnificent Roman coliseum. Dig up Wagner Park, create underground parking and cover it over with grass for a football/rugby field. Mayor Klanderud answers, “We should keep all cars out of the city in a holding parking structure out of town.”I don’t agree. Sorry, Mayor! This summer construction, 18-wheel semis, concrete mixers and tourists will again try to come to Aspen amidst the worst traffic bedlam in our history.I’ve been in business for 50 years, and I’m beginning to wonder about our future.Mead MetcalfAspen
‘One step at a time’: Snowmass resident surpasses goal of 85 uphills for his 85th birthday
At the start of the 2023-2024 ski season, Mone Anthan set an ambitious goal for himself: uphill 85 times for his 85th birthday. By the time his birthday came on March 15, he had surpassed 85 uphills and was shooting for 100.