Letter: Paying for poor planning

There is quite a bit of discussion (“Debate intensifies over Basalt breach,” The Aspen Times, June 24) going on over whether the town of Basalt had a good plan for the Pan and Fork property for when the Roaring Fork hit flood stage. The river has topped the boulder wall erected for the town and eroded some of the path and topsoil that had been put in place. An initial estimate to repair the damage is $25,000.

Thinking about planning, if the original plan was to remove that “embarrassing” fire hydrant currently on an island in the river, why wasn’t it done before the channel and topsoil were placed? Heavy equipment will be needed to excavate it and the line going to it, which will disturb all those “improvements.” That’s another extra cost. Oh, well — $25,000 here, $25,000 there. Pretty soon you’re talking about real money (to paraphrase former Sen. Everett Dirksen).

Gerry Terwilliger

Basalt