Overeynder: Aspen Valley Hospital District election

Today I received my ballot for the Aspen Valley Hospital District election. I don’t know if there will be an opportunity for the candidates to discuss the issues in a public forum, but I have an issue I would like to know how they plan to address.

The hospital has expanded physically and has increased services. There is inadequate parking for the hospital employees as well as people who use the services. The Senior Center, Whitcomb Terrace, and the hospital employee housing project, which is adjacent to the Senior Center, are all part of the hospital campus, and parking is a huge issue. People who want to attend the Senior Center or visit Whitcomb Terrace — all are dealing with the lack of adequate parking. I heard that some hospital employees are told to park at the Aspen Chapel parking lot.

Now, you may say, “Take the bus,” but that doesn’t work for everyone. RFTA does provide a senior van, which is a great service for those seniors living within RFTA’s perimeter of service. I have heard that some hospital employees work very early morning shifts before RFTA is operating, so they have to drive. I, personally, do not need to drive to the hospital campus, but I hear complaints from many people at the Senior Center about their difficulty dealing with the ongoing parking problem. So, I hope to hear solutions from the candidates.

Debbie Overeynder

Aspen