Commissioners are right to turn down Ascendigo camp

On Monday, Garfield County commissioners denied Ascendigo Autism Services, Inc. application for a ranch camp in residential Missouri Heights (“Garfield County commissioners vote to deny Ascendigo camp proposed for Missouri Heights,“ June 28).

Ascendigo’s vision of their camp for people on the autism spectrum scale is to be admired, and it could bring a unique facility to the Roaring Fork Valley, or beyond. But, as a majority of the commissioners agreed, that ranch camp is not an appropriate fit for rural, residential Missouri Heights.

Garfield County commissioners listened to the applicant, received evidence, read reports from county staff, and heard testimony from experts, constituents and the community. Commissioners Mike Samson and John Martin’s denial of Ascendigo’s application was appropriate, and they appropriately acknowledged that Ascendigo’s land use was not best for this area of rural residential Garfield County.

Debbie Hanson

Carbondale/Missouri Heights