Scott: Who is taking liberties?
Letter to the editor
Bernard Grauer, I think you owe Lance Armstrong an apology.
You called him a liar over and over in the papers, and yet you take significant liberties with the truth in your most recent letter criticizing my commentary.
In that letter, you state that “the trailers were in a flood plain.” In fact, eight trailers were in the 100-year flood plain, but 38 trailers were removed. (Aspen Times, Sept. 8, 2013: https://www.aspentimes.com/news/most-offers-accepted-so-far-at-pan-and-fork-mobile-home-park/)
You state in your letter that the Pan Fork property “had a history of significant flooding.” I could find not one news article referring to historic flooding at the park; and though it was identified in a study as being at risk of flooding, there was in fact “a large earthen berm between the trailer park and the Roaring Fork River.” (ADN, March 27, 2014: “Scanlon: Forced Removal of Pan and Fork resident unlikely.”) The earthen berm, which protected the trailer park from flooding, was removed after the people and their homes left.
You state that voters approved the Midland project by 71%. Here is the section of what they voted for in the Nov 21 “special” election (Issue 3A) that relates to ripping up Midland Avenue for a year and a half and having heavy equipment tearing up concrete in front of restaurants during their busiest season, closing one lane of a major recreational and residential thoroughfare that serves two communities called Thomasville and Meredith, and transports citizens up and down to a recreation area called Ruedi Reservoir: “STREETSCAPE, SIDEWALK, AND RELATED INFRASTRUCTURE IMPROVEMENTS ON MIDLAND AVENUE IN DOWNTOWN BASALT; • “GREEN” PROJECTS, SUCH AS SOLAR DEVELOPMENT, VEHICLE CHARGING STATIONS, AND OTHER IMPROVEMENTS; ” (acrobat.adobe.com/link/review?uri=urn:aaid:scds:US:c5b9d780-9eaf-4116-ad20-d86d12625167)
Those “improvements” were all below the first bullet point that begins “INCREASING THE SUPPLY OF AFFORDABLE HOUSING.” Not one of those 71% of voters you referred to voted for removal of parking, nor a massive, extended construction fiasco during peak tourist season.
None of that ballot language stated that those hired by the mayor or council members would “tear the place up pretty substantially,” as the mayor described their own coming handiwork. (Aspen Times, Mar. 9, 2022: “Basalt’s 11.7 million Midland Avenue project gets green light”).
It’s you who should substantiate your claims. I stand by mine, along with their accompanying hyperbole.
Andrew Scott
Snowmass