Elbert County Is Full of Good People

Sometimes, when you write a column with the odd title of “Mundus Vult Decipi, Ergo Decipiatur” the topics come easily.  After all, the average person, if they are being honest with themselves, do wish to be deceived.  We want to believe that nice guys finish first, that if we just work hard enough our ship will pull into port, or that if we just keep picking that combination of numbers that  include our pants size in high school combined with the date we first got kissed we will win the lottery.  Hope springs eternal.  But that is not always the case when you sit down at the keyboard and start to write a weekly blog and are trying to meet a deadline.  The well, is sometimes dry.  Tonight is just such a night.That said, there are plenty of things to be written that are important at this time of the year and so I will take this opportunity that has been presented to me in the form of writers block to indulge myself and hopefully do some good.

Elbert County, despite its reputation for political dysfunction, its lack of commerce, its abysmal lack of infrastructure, is a wonderful place to live.  I say this even though I have found myself at the heart of much turmoil over the years due to my penchant for citizen advocacy.  There are just some things that I feel must be defended.  That is the way I felt about the Super Slab. That is the way I feel about the groundwater.  That is the way I feel about volunteer firefighters,  That is especially true for my belief that public education is our best insurance for a sound future.  But to the point of this article, this county is a wonderful place to live because of its charitable people who give so much to the common good with little or no reward.

On several different occasions over the past few years, my family and myself included, have been stricken with illness.  My sister who lived in West Virginia came down with lung cancer a few years back.  The struggle which eventually took her life was lengthy and painful. One morning during her fight to recover she received a package from Gail Segreto of the Elizabeth Piecemakers. In it was a quilt to make her feel better during her days as she battled her illness.  It made a profound impact on my family that a group of ladies that had never met her and lived over a thousand miles away had taken the time to send her a handmade quilt.  Presumably, the Piecemakers came into the knowledge of her illness by reading about her struggle from some of the social media sites where I post my articles.  Since that time, I have myself experienced some debilitating injuries to my back. I, too, received a quilt during my convalescence.  To this day I cannot adequately express how much that this has meant to my family.  These are my neighbors.  We likely do not see eye to eye on political matters and to be certain, other than Gail, I do not know who the current quilters are, but they care about everyone and that makes me a fortunate individual because of where I live. They deserve recognition.  They deserve charitable contributions from their neighbors.  Give back.

http://www.nonprofitfacts.com/CO/Elizabeth-Piecemakers-Of-Colorado-Inc.html.

There is a lady in the town of Elbert who epitomizes why Elbert County is such a wonderful place to live.  Her name is Jo Petit.  She runs a circus.  The circus is called Circus-YOUR-Way LLC. It is a youth training and employment organization and its sole purpose is to bring  local youth and seniors together. Yes, it is an LLC, but it would be a stretch to say that anyone is monetarily profiting from this. They do not. Jo trains local entertainers. She trains them to be performers but in reality she is teaching them the life skill of self confidence and physical exercise.  She helps promote community involvement, service and volunteer work right here in Elbert County.  The kids have something to do and they give back to their community.  They go to civic events, bring joy and engage senior citizens.  These kids stay out of trouble, they are learning to stand in front of a crowd and confidently, juggle, do acrobatics, dance and sing.  Can you do that?  Jo is doing a great service for our youth.  Give back.  Go see them when they perform and donate if you are so inclined!  They make Elbert County unique and special.

https://www.facebook.com/CircusYourWay/about/?entry_point=page_nav_about_item&tab=page_info

And finally there is our Elbert County Community Outreach store (ECCO). ECCO gives monies to those that are in need of emergency housing due to disasters.  They have helped people who have found themselves without the resources to have their proper medical needs met or who might find that they are in need food and clothing.  They help people learn how to find employment, balance household finances, and live a more productive life.  If you have ever found yourself down and out in Elbert County, chances are pretty good that you have used ECCO’s services.  They help families that foster children, women in domestic abuse situations and senior citizens in need of a hand.  Last year, when I helped a friend go through a devastating medical and financial crises, ECCO was there with me every step of the way.  This is truly an amazing organization that inspires and brings hope to hundreds of families in need.  And if that was not enough, they have the coolest store between Castle Rock and Limon for clothing, household goods and anything else you can imagine.  All the money raised goes to help Elbert County residents.  Go to their store, spend money, make a donation and above all, get to know these wonderful people.  Oh, by the way, you can donate household goods, clothing, tools, and working electronics if that suits your fancy.

http://www.myecco.org/about.html

So that’s it.  This is the beginning of the holiday season.  It is getting colder and people tend to have more emergencies this time of year.  Here in Elbert we have people who reach out and help.  They make Elbert County special in so many ways.  Please consider giving back.  Please think about volunteering to help with community outreach projects.  Please be generous with your time, your energy and your money so that Elbert can be the kind of place we all want to call “Home.”

Robert Rowland Wants To Tell You Something and I Try to Help Him Out

I have a couple of Republican friends who get all of Commissioner Robert Rowland’s email missives as the leader of the Elbert County Tea Party. They send them to me for some strange reason. Now before I move into my topic, let me be clear on something: Rowland deserves some credit for practicing his politics.  He does not approach politics in the manner that I believe that it should be approached, you know, by researching facts, telling the truth and being transparent, but he does participate with fervor in his own way.

Back to Rowland’s most recent missive in which he attacks Jill Duvall and all of her ilk over at the Prairie Times.  This following is the text of the letter:

I'm not going to waste a lot of time in responding to Jill Duvall's latest desperate attempt at being relevant here in Elbert County, but her ad in the Prairie Times warrants a rational response.  Here she is in this latest edition forced into our mailboxes by the Editor controlled by the local radical wing of the Democratic Party running an ad that like most of their rhetoric is false and insulting to most clear thinking Elbert County citizens.   She uses my picture and that of Colonel Chris Richardson, the Republican candidate for Elbert County Commissioner District 1 to claim if you elect this proven leader and Conservative that you are getting just another me.  While I'm honored to be compared to Colonel Richardson in such a manner, her delusional latest garbage is not intended by these radicals to be a compliment. 

I think it's time for all of Elbert County's voters, except for those far left followers of Duvall's to recognize this Democrat for exactly what she is, a disruptive, willing to say anything radical who has and will continue to cause disruption, wasted taxpayer dollars and confusion for as long as she is standing and able to spout her venom.

We all know Colonel Chris Richardson as the free thinking, dedicated, honest and proven Conservative he is, and we all know that he is beholding to no one, which makes these latest vicious lies all the more despicable.   We are a county of conservative, patriotic citizens, and while we may differ at times, while we may get angry at each others views or approaches, we know that this group of HIllary/Bernie/Bennett supporters, these folks who oppose everything but their own out of touch radical leftist agenda, these folks who believe lies are justified if it fits the end game, are not what this county or any reasonably managed local government needs.   

I say reject Democrat Jill Duvall and her campaign trash, reject the Prairie Times that has all but turned over it's content to this gang, let's move this county forward with responsible, honest and proven Conservatives, the Democrats have proven they are unworthy of our trust or out votes.

First of all, his entire letter is fraught with grammatical errors making it hard to to follow his reasoning with any preciseness. It has a number of erroneous assumptions in it, but as fortune would have it, and as a former public educator, I am here to help you with all of this. In the first sentence he says he is not going to waste your time responding to any of this before he responds to everything, real or imagined, in a paid political ad, which I have provided in this blog entry. Her “delusional attack” on Chris Richardson is to point out that that he represents the status quo, and a vote for him insures you will get more leadership that has been served up by the likes of the current sitting commissioner, Robert Rowland. No hyperbole. No ad hominem verbiage.  Nope, this is just a simple opinion that states that it is her belief that Richardson does not represent change.  

Mr. Rowland seems to be saying that he recognizes what people of all political persuasions are saying about him, and he wants none of that for his friend.  I just do not see anything wrong with her statement, but apparently Mr. Rowland is feeling a bit chaffed at where his personal reputation has ended up after four years of contentious leadership. Paid ads are the lifeblood of any newspaper and coming from a man who says he was a leader at the Denver Post, his complaint about the Prairie Times is silly.  Anyone who knows Mr. Bishop and his family know that they are conservatives.  That the Prairie Times provides a place for citizens to air differing opinions than Rowland’s is laudable.  If it was not something his readership wished to see, free market forces would have brought pressure to bear against the content.  Instead, it appears that it has become very popular.  The Bishops continue to keep the lights on thanks to the generosity of their advertisers.

Rowland states that Duvall is a disruptive radical who wastes taxpayer dollars.  It is hard to imagine just what Mr. Rowland means when he uses the word “disruptive.” The synonyms for that descriptor are: troublesome, unruly, badly behaved, rowdy, disorderly, undisciplined and wild. I have spent countless hours in meetings with Mrs. Duvall.  At no time have I ever seen disruptive behavior from her nor has she ever been escorted from a county meeting due to misconduct.  She does irritate the crap out of commissioners who have no use for her point of view, but that hardly qualifies as disruption.  Mrs. Duvall is always prepared with thoughtful research and she is well within her rights to question activities that appear to be in conflict with either state law, the will of the people, or both.  Opposition may be viewed as inconvenient to those wishing to accomplish an unclear agenda, but it is the way our laws work.  If she is breaking the law, then I suggest Mr. Rowland engage the legal resources at his disposal to halt this horrible and venomous behavior.  However, as Mr. Rowland clearly knows, it is not okay to falsely accuse someone of breaking the law and then acting upon a false assertion.  

Mr. Rowland suggests that Mrs. Duvall has wasted taxpayer money.  Of course unless you were born yesterday after an unfortunate fall from the bed of a truck full of turnips you are aware that Mrs. Duvall has never sued the county nor have the members  of the Elbert County Democratic Party.  He affectionately refers to us as leftists “unworthy of our trust or votes.”  No, the real expense to which he is referring is the taxpayer money that he himself has wasted trying to defend his own reputation using the highly expensive services of the so-called “county attorney” and to keep him from having to pay a $1000 fine levied on him by a judge.  To my knowledge, the judge in question was not partisan, did not know Mrs. Duvall, had no beef with Robert Rowland, and would have been judged sane by a jury of his own peers.  I believe Commissioner Rowland would be wise to just take out that  sentence and move on to the next part of his diatribe.

Mr. Rowland wants us to believe that everyone knows Chris Richardson and his tried and true conservatism.  The fact of the matter is that before this campaign, few people ever heard of him.  He certainly was not at the meetings of the BOCC, the planning commission, or the water advisory board making his important conservative values known.  This is not a slam on Mr. Richardson; he might be all of the things Robert Rowland states, but there is little history on which to judge these claims.  There is nothing wrong with being new to the political scene, as is Democrat, Don Cherobe, but it is inappropriate to suggest that these two candidates do not need to bring us up to speed with their beliefs.  I applaud them both for their personal service to our country, but that is not enough for many of us who want some substance to show us they are ready to take the helm of Elbert County.  I applaud both the Prairie Times and the online Elbert County Citizens’ Page for trying to bring us the answers to the pressing questions of the day.  Despite Mr. Rowland’s claim over the past few years, the audit shows us we are still sinking financially and we need to select leaders, not political monikers.

Jill Duvall, Chris Richardson, Danny Wilcox, Don Cherobee, Barbara Miller and Grant Thayer are all trying to become Elbert County Commissioners.  It is hard work.  They are trying to take the reins on a wagon that some might argue is running out of control.  I have run for this office and it is no picnic.  Can we all just listen to what the candidates have to tell us without all of the the name calling and personal attacks?  Let’s try something different at the county level this year and be more disciplined than state and federal politicians.  More discourse and less drama.

And one more thing, when you read a quote from a founding father on Mr. Rowland’s letters, be sure to take it with a grain of salt.  Thomas Paine never wrote, “"The duty of a patriot is to protect his country from its government.” Simple fact checking at the following link to the Thomas Paine National Historical Association might have saved him some embarrassment.

http://thomaspaine.org/aboutpaine/did-paine-write-these-quotes.html

What if Elbert County Actually Stepped up to the Plate and did Something Important?

Sometimes I am no different than anybody else and I get something stuck in my craw and I want to just bitch and complain.  But then, shortly afterwards, I remember that I am a grownup, that bitching never accomplishes what I want it to do, and there are certainly more productive things to do with my time.  Such was the case this week as I watched people of all political stripes go bonkers over sports figures exercising their constitutional right to protest.  Whether you believe the National Anthem is to be revered or not, damned few people wanted to listen to the  other side’s explanation.  Nope, it is too easy nowadays to just pick a side and embrace the polarized morass that our country has become.  

Instead of becoming all indignant and digging through your closet for an outfit that is red, white and blue, perhaps we should pull together and do something that might actually demonstrate that we care about our country. Why don’t we do something that not only would show everyone that we care about our nation, but those who serve to protect it as well?  I have had a notion which has met with underwhelming attention for nearly ten years, but it might just be that now is the time to trot it out there again and see if there is any interest.

I propose that Elbert County remake its image and become the most Veteran-friendly county in this state.  Instead of complaining that we do not show the respect to those who have fought for our freedom, we open our doors to United States Veterans who have been disabled in sacrifice to their country.  

Everybody knows that the VA Eastern Colorado Health Care System and Hospital is located in Aurora.  http://www.denver.va.gov/   It is there to provide medical care to those who have served our country while in uniform.  Despite its own rocky start with inadequate funding, the complex is now getting on its feet and helping Veterans from all over the western regions of our country.  As a result, we have many families that have relocated to Colorado to be closer to this state-o-the- art medical facility.  What I am asking our BOCC to consider as one of its goals is to encourage veterans' based businesses to locate within Elbert County.  

The Small Business Administration (SBA) has made provisions to assist disabled veterans to start up businesses based on the the Veterans Benefits Act of 2003 (Public Law 108-183). This was an act passed by Congress. It set up a procurement program for Service-Disabled Veteran-Owned Small Business Concerns (SDVOSBC). From the SBA site:

"This procurement program provides that federal contracting officers may restrict competition to SDVOSBCs and award a sole source or set-aside contract where certain criteria are met.

The Small Business Administration has issued an interim final rule, establishing a Service-Disabled Veteran-Owned Small Business Concern Program. This program establishes the criteria to be used in federal contracting to determine service-disabled veteran status; business ownership and control requirements; guidelines for establishing sole source and set-aside procurement opportunities; and protest and appeal procedures for SDVOSBC procurements.”

https://www.sba.gov/contracting/government-contracting-programs/service-disabled-veteran-owned-businesses

So we have the Vets, we are located conveniently near a major VA Hospital complex, and our general populace wants to honor the commitment of these great Americans.  What they need to complete this scenario is a place to go to work.  Small towns like Simla, Elizabeth, Elbert and Kiowa are great locations for these kinds of businesses.  Without much modification to existing infrastructure, a small business that does injection molding or cleanroom assembly of electronic or medical devices is very doable.  We are talking about businesses that may employ five or six people, some who may be disabled, but others who are not.

Let me give you an example of which I am very familiar.  A few years ago, a couple of friends of ours joined my wife and I in a small business endeavor.  We purchased an old building in the town of Elbert.  It served many purposes over the years, but most notably was the Elsner Building where that family sold tractor and farm supplies.  We restored the building.  We replaced the old wiring and brought the building up to a standard where it could have been modified into a small manufacturing business.  There is three phase power in the town of Elbert.  To those who may be unaware, that is a real bonus in manufacturing.  The zoning was such that we could have put in an injection molding business, a furniture making shop, etc. Sadly, as is sometimes the case, the partnership dissolved before any plans came to fruition.

That said, I did explore the possibility of a veteran based business in that building.  I began floating my idea of making the town of Elbert a veteran friendly town.  I talked to locals who seemed interested in the idea and offered to help any family of a veteran move into the community and even go so far as to help convert one of the old houses in the town into an ADA compliant home for the new community member.  I talked a bit to a couple of teachers from the school at the time and asked them what they thought the impact might be on the youth of Elbert if their little town opened its doors to someone who had made the kind of sacrifice that a disabled vet might have made but it left them with special needs.  To a person, they all thought it was a good idea.

Unfortunately, none of this would or ever will be possible unless the BOCC, the county planner, the zoning officials and grant writers for the county are all on board with this.  You see, we do not have a lot of extra cash on hand over at the government offices in Kiowa. We spend too much money (in my opinion) on frivolous litigation, designed to improve our tarnished reputation in the state.  Nothing, I repeat, nothing, could  repair the reputation with the State of Colorado than a public policy that states, "Elbert County wants veteran based businesses to locate in our county and we are willing to bend over backward to make that happen because we owe them something for their service."

It not only be a boon to those who served.  It would not only show our children that this is a worthy endeavor.  It would be something we could all agree upon.  It would bring others here who might provide services to the veteran community such as physical therapists, ambulance cabs, etc. to help them lead normal lives.  It is of course much more involved than this. But if we pulled this off, Elbert County could provide a model for other counties that have this sort of community spirit.  

Imagine Elbert County being a leader for other counties and doing such good work.  Honestly, doesn’t this make more sense than screaming at your television set when you see an athlete taking a knee during the National Anthem?  This is replacing anger with meaningful action and cooperation.

When you wish upon a star...

Why are you here?  That’s right, I am talking to you.  Let me be a bit more specific.  Why are you living here in Elbert County right now?  Were you born here?  Did you want to live in a county that was a little more rural?  Did you want to raise chickens?  Did you always want to have your very own horse to ride?  Did you get a belly full of having neighbors whose house was within ten feet of your property line?  Did you want your children to grow up in a place that was free of some of the pressures that inner cities often place in the way of their development?  Did you want to revel in the pristine quiet and the incredible night skies? Perhaps it was just a chance to catch a glimpse of honest to goodness wildlife. Every one of those choices are legitimate and you probably know someone who could identify with one or more of those reasons.  

If you are being honest with yourself, you probably did not move out here so that you could snap your fingers and your surroundings would turn into Aurora or Colorado Springs.  If you actually made the conscious decision to move here, then you probably did not expect to see an AMC 24 screen movie theater in a brand spanking new mall any time soon.  You probably understood that your drinking water was going to be from a domestic well.  You probably understood you would be driving your car on gravel roads a good portion of the time and your windshield would need replacing from gravel projectiles pelting it on a regular basis.  This is what living in the rural areas along the Front Range in Colorado is like.  You can wish it was different, but that is not going to bring about significant change unless investors from areas outside the county decide they need what you have; undeveloped property, underdeveloped natural resources and/or unexploited tourism potential.

Elbert County is on the cusp of consequential change and I predict that in a few years, unless we do a better job of planning for it, few of us are going to recognize the old place when and if current population projections hold true.  As I stated in my last blog post, there will be an additional 2.4 million Coloradans living here by the year 2040.  They will mainly live along the Front Range in the area from Ft. Collins to Colorado Springs.

http://inewsnetwork.org/2015/12/14/a-growing-colorado-anticipates-a-2040-population-of-7-8-million-people/

It is not impossible to foresee a doubling of the Elbert County population in the next few years.  With no intention of casting shade on the Independence development project or the other plans for development along County Road 58, that area alone, if built out to completion will likely represent a 10% increase in population in our county.  If it happens, (and I have little reason to believe it won’t), we have to hope that our elected officials have their thinking caps screwed on tightly for a wide variety of reasons.  

When population grows, there is a mixed bag of ancillary side effects that must be taken into consideration.  Some of them are wonderful.  Some of them are not.  Some of them include hard lessons that change the persona of a community or county in unexpected ways.

As of January 1, 2016, Douglas County population was projected to be 327,230. http://www.douglas.co.us/documents/douglas-county-demographics-summary.pdf.  In 1970, Douglas County’s population was 8,608. When I moved to Elbert County in 1997, Douglas County was slightly  above 130,000. That represents a 251% increase in 19 years and an overall increase in population of 380% since I graduated from high school.  If you were born on a farm in Douglas County in the 1960’s and are still living there today, your perspective on rampant growth might be something Elbert County might wish to discuss with you. 

Sometimes you have to be careful when making wishes.  Most of you reading this would agree that we need more commercial development in the county so that there are more local jobs.  That said, you have to be prepared for the increased traffic, the sprawl of housing developments that eradicate the once beautiful views that surround you today.  You have to be prepared for increased needs for new schools, changing political dynamics, increased costs of services and a diminishing rural lifestyle. 

Let’s also be cognizant of the fact that if housing brings in more blue collar workers than upper management types that you might find in Douglas County, our Elbert County may start voting a more blue agenda.  Are you ready for marijuana dispensaries, for instance, because this is Colorado after all ?  

I grew up in Aurora when it was rural and conservative.  Today it is a very different place and I do not go back there often.  I am not saying it is a bad thing to grow and that you should be fearful, but I am asking you if you are prepared for it. Growth changes communities, that no one can deny.

If it means anything to you at all, do something about it today, while you still can.  Attend meetings about developing a new master plan.  Go to a few planning commission meetings to see how this body produces recommendations to the BOCC.  Call and ask our planners specific questions about future growth and demand answers.  They are there to serve the community, not produce a future that does not include your input.  "Mundus cult decipi, ergo decipiatur” suggests that if you wish to abdicate the decision of Elbert County’s future to those whose vision might not reflect your values, then let it be so.  It may be that my vision is different than yours, but if neither of us stand up and make our voices heard, then the future of Elbert County belongs to those whose only vision is to prosper by our inaction.

Plaid Pants Development

There is no way around it, Colorado’s population is growing by leaps and bounds. By the end of 2016, there should be approximately 5.474 million people living here, and it is estimated that the population will grow to 7.8 million residents by 2040. 

http://inewsnetwork.org/2015/12/14/a-growing-colorado-anticipates-a-2040-population-of-7-8-million-people/

By United States coastal population standards, those numbers are pretty wimpy and do not garner much attention outside of our state.  But in Colorado,  a state that is already experiencing drought and long ago gave away most of its rights to the abundance of water from its mountains, it is a huge and looming problem on the horizon.  People need water to live and if we do not start responsibly advocating for water conservation today, our children and grandchildren are going to have real problems with water shortages.

Population growth is inevitable and not really the point of this article.  Elbert County will be experiencing population growth by leaps and bound in the northwest corner of the county as Aurora and Parker continue to expand.  Those who suggest that anybody who questions development projects are simply antigrowth need to reconsider their stance. There is only enough fresh water to go around, and once the Denver Bedrock Aquifer System is depleted, Elbert County has a real problem on its hands.  Like it or not, the county has no rivers and too little rainfall to sustain much growth without tying into the Denver Metropolitan water complex.  It is expensive and will continue to become even more expensive by the time our population approaches the aforementioned figures projected for 2040.

So let me delve into a common development issue in Colorado.  I grew up around golf. My father’s construction company helped to pull the Valley Country Club out of a bind due to damage from a tornado back in the day. My family became members. That did not mean I was any good at it, but I tried to do the best I could. One golf instructor described my abilities at the game as, “…remarkably dangerous!  I have never seen what can only be described as a terminal hook.”  Despite that I understand the draw of a pastoral and neatly manicured course on a sunny day.

I am not just picking on golf, but developers have long known of it ability to draw homeowners. People who move into neighborhoods built around golf courses for what a golf course can do for property values.  I do not know whether it is the game itself or just the sense of freedom that comes from spending an afternoon with friends clad in brightly colored pants.  But make no mistake,  golf has become an American passion.  

There is a downside to this concept and that is that golf courses use a tremendous amount of water. In 2005 it was reported in a federal government study of Colorado golf courses and their impact on water resources reported that 5,647.8 acre-feet was used annually in Jefferson County on its courses alone!  That was eleven years ago.  My point is that if we are going to develop in Elbert County where 98% of our homes use wells, the public needs to understand the implications of just how growth needs to be done in concert with responsible foresight.

http://pubs.usgs.gov/of/2008/1267/

I am not trying to suggest that any new development currently under consideration in Elbert County is going to be a golfing community. But, it could happen and it has happened in the past. This is just one of many possible scenarios that must be scrutinized when new growth occurs.  Problems could just as easily be traffic related impacts, wildlife habitat infringement or simply issues surrounding the absence of adequate schools in an a

rea. Developers, cash strapped county governments, and yes, even golfers, need to have  open minds and be prepared to engage in honest discussion with the public about the use of all available resources.

Going back to my example about a water impact issue like a developer trying to build a golf course community:  It is fair to expect that people will have serious questions for which they will demand answers.  Many people would obviously just want some assurance that they will not end up with a dry domestic well and no prospects for selling their home in the event that the growth predictions come true. Can you blame them?

There is nothing dirty about the words “smart growth.” There is however, something very troubling about a county discouraging citizen input on planning for the future.  We owe residents who are already living here and paying taxes at least the same consideration we are affording people we are trying to attract as future residents. I don’t care how sporty I look in plaid pants while wearing a jaunty Panama Jack golf hat, I need water to live out here in Elbert County.

What the Dunn Memorial Should Teach Us All about Leadership

I spent some time on Saturday, August 22nd, at the Gates Mercantile Building in the town of Elbert helping to say goodbye to an old friend, John Dunn.  The function started at 11:00 AM and lasted until 2:00 PM.  The hall was full for the entire event.  It was a tribute to a man who was viewed as a loving family member, a strong civic leader, a good neighbor and an invaluable friend.  I felt honored to be asked to  participate and  to help say farewell.  

If we are being honest with ourselves, most of us have spent at least a little time reflecting on who, if anyone, would show up at a funeral or memorial if we were to suddenly pass away.  It is a human metric that people everywhere use to to measure the impact of their life.  The notion is that, the more people show up, the better your conduct must have been viewed as you travelled along the highway of life.  In teacher parlance, John Dunn passed this test of life value with flying colors.  Nobody is perfect and neither was Mr. Dunn, but when you put his life on the scales of impact of those who were in the room on Saturday, he was measured a success.

The people in the hall on Saturday was a who’s who of leadership in Elbert County.  Commissioner Robert Rowland was in attendance to show his respect.  Sheriff Shayne Heap came to say goodbye.  Community leaders, a whole host of former employees, farmers, doctors, lawyers, engineers, business leaders, teachers, family and friends all showed up to reminisce about John.  The most amazing thing is that there were many people in attendance who would not normally be inclined to socialize together given the current climate of political polarization in Elbert County. They were there to simply pay their tribute.  We were all equals in the palpable atmosphere of loss that was in the room, and so all political boundaries were dropped.  Former disagreements were put aside and everybody grieved in their own way without apprehension.  Just like John would have wanted it.

So what is the point of this blog posting under the curious title of mundus vult decipi, ergo decipiatur? Simply put, we need to take a page from John Dunn’s book of life and get about the job of building positive relationships that lead to positive results.  John knew that you do not have to see eye to eye on every single issue to forge important alliances.  John also knew that welcoming ideas from every quarter made for better solutions because there was greater consensus in the community. He knew that when many voices were heard the government is actually being more responsive. He knew also that whatever extra time he took gaining consensus was future time he spared himself arguing with people who felt that they were left out of the process.

As we head into what is one of the most confusing commissioner races in decades I hope every candidate reflects on why John Dunn was viewed with such long-lasting respect.  The list is much longer than this, but these are just a few of the principles that John employed that just might help to bring our county together as we head into the next four years of leadership with an entirely new BOCC.

• The state gives the commissioners the power of the purse.  If a department is not in compliance with leadership requirements of the BOCC, hold that department accountable by withholding funding until the impasse has been cleared.

• Open up as much transparency as is humanly possible and within the boundaries of the law to restore confidence in elected officials.  John Dunn  understood that transparency might make elected officials uncomfortable at times, including himself, but in the long run it always was the best policy.

• Sit down with the county employees on a regular basis and listen to their ideas on what might improve relationships with the citizens of the county.  This not only will result in better community relationships but will also give the employees a sense of worthiness.

• Demand fiscal accountability.  Pay attention to the budgets of all departments.  Pay strict attention to the bidding process when making purchases.  Seek financial advice from Colorado Counties Inc. (CCI) when entering into loans or long term leasing programs.  CCI has seen it all and will give the county sound advice based on historical experiences across all of Colorado’s county governments.

• Reduce frivolous litigation.

• De–emphasize the role of the County Attorney who John believed had become the equivalent of a fourth commissioner.  He believed the position of County Attorney was necessary but merely advisory in nature.  John believed the County Attorney too often had the effect of making the public feel intimidated.

• Bring laughter into the courthouse in Kiowa.  This starts by being able to laugh at yourself.  John knew this better than anyone.

In the spirit of bipartisanship, I believe candidates of all political parties need to learn from their predecessors; learn from what went wrong and what went right.  As a Democrat, I can say without equivocation that we need leadership from people, not from political parties.  It is my belief that had we had a few more Republicans or dare I say it, Democrats who understood leadership the way John did, we would be in a better position today as a county.  

The Independence Development Questions

Unless you have been living under a rock, you have no doubt heard of the proposed large housing project north of County Rd.158 known currently as Independence.  It was formerly known as the Bandera development.  The new set of Denver developers are registered as Craft Companies, LLC.  They are proposing a two part project (Independence West and Independence East) which will include 920 homes. The original project, Bandera, was approved early in 2009.  The project never got off the ground and sat undeveloped ever since.  

It is my opinion that this project should be required to start over from scratch for a myriad of reasons which will be addressed later in this posting.  The developer has a different view and  wants the people who live in established developments that are adjacent to this Elbert County project to calm down and listen to all of the wonderful reasons why Independence is going to make all of their lives just a little bit better.  

Make no mistake about it; we should all listen very carefully to the representatives of Craft Companies, LLC.  We should also be acutely aware of all of the players involved in this project.  We should recognize that there will be impacts both positive and negative that will arise. We need to listen to both sides of this story so that we are prepared to make our voices heard regarding the direction this high density Elbert County housing project takes in the immediate future.

I begin with one undeniable fact: 98% of the residents in Elbert County live with a well for domestic use and a septic field. Our county has basically no water infrastructure on which any of us can rely. When you move here, that is the first thing you must accept. You have no other option.  If the water levels in your well significantly drop, you are in trouble. You cannot live here without water.  You can’t even sell your house without a viable source of fresh water.  You must drill deeper and that is a giant expense. Even then, there will be continued pressure on the aquifers as they try and meet the requirements of new development.

Within a stone’s throw to the west of the Independence development is Douglas County.  In an article published by the Colorado Foundation for Water Education, entitled Denver Basin Aquifers in Decline

https://www.yourwatercolorado.org/component/content/article/86-headwaters-magazine/headwaters-summer-2006groundwater-issue/195-denver-basin-aquifers-in-decline

they outline the difficulties that the residents living in areas south of Highlands Ranch are experiencing today, “…but the situation is very different for areas in Douglas County where high volume pumping from the Arapahoe aquifer has caused dramatic declines. In some areas, 40 feet drops per year have been recorded and it is anticipated well flow rates will diminish during the next decade.”  

Folks, Douglas County is our next door neighbor.  The water situation, while bad in 2009, was nowhere near as dire as it is today in 2016. It only seems reasonable that we require a new study on just how the surrounding residents will be impacted by 920 new homes.  Currently, it is my understanding that the developers will be allocating 1/3 acre foot of water annually  to each new home.  In contrast, the rules in the remainder of Elbert County say that each home is entitled to 1 acre foot of water per 40 acre parcel (See my article http://mvdelbert.blogspot.com/2016/07/should-we-be-discussing-water-in-elbert.html). One third of an acre foot of water is not very much per household.  It does mean that at a minimum, the 1,100 acres of land on which the proposed development will sit will be pumping over 300 acre feet of water annually out of the underlying aquifer. Now tell me again why neighbors should not be worried.

I also would be remiss if I did not mention that the Denver Bedrock Aquifers are designated as a “not nontributary water resource.”  In layman terms this means that the aquifers cannot recharge themselves  unless we wait several thousand years, and it also means that the state gives you almost no legal recourse if your well runs dry.  Colorado regards the water as a finite resource.  It is the risk that 98% of Elbert homeowners take which makes this development even more of a candidate for further and stringent review.

The article Denver Basin Aquifers in Decline discusses how Douglas County residents are having to pick up the tab for switching over from the aquifers to renewable water resources where water is stored in reservoirs, “Among Castle Rock's options—buying river water from Sterling, 150 miles to the north and east; drawing it from the Arkansas River; forming a partnership with East Cherry Creek; or buying into Denver Water's Green Mountain pumpback plan—each scenario is estimated to cost around $300 million.”  When you see plans like this, you have to understand that water is where the money is.  When these plans are thrown around, the same old faces keep showing up.  There is always talk of water districts and it generally will be explained by the likes of Attorney Diane Miller, Karl Nyquist's attorney who is a water expert. Or how about former Elbert County Commissioner Kurt Schlegel who served on a water district with water guru, Attorney Robert Lembke while making decisions on your Elbert County water future without ever once offering to recuse himself.  Did I mention that Diane Miller was in attendance at the presentation by developers with Craft Companies, LLC during a meeting at Pinecrest Community Church on Aug. 1, 2016? (Ms. Miller was there as the attorney representing the water district that will be servicing the Independence development.)   Probably just a freak coincidence, or not.  Call me skeptical…

Let’s move away from the water and discuss the Costs of Community Services (COCS) for a moment.  Any developer worth his salt should be prepared to talk about the amount of money a new home brings into the county coffers in terms of property taxes.  That money should be used by the county to improve roads, provide schools, fire and police protection, just to mention a few.  Here is a short study by the University of Illinois Extension Services on the topic: http://extension.illinois.edu/lcr/cost.cfm/. In this article the author points out that every new community needs to be analyzed for its fiscal impact on the surrounding area.  While everyone wishes and hopes that these new houses will generate much needed revenues to improve the existing surroundings, the truth is that some houses never even come close to generating enough property tax to pay their way.  From the get-go, many developments pose a burden on existing resources and wreak havoc on fragile county budgets.  

Can we honestly go forward without first doing a current COCS Analysis?  It would be pure folly without a complete reboot of this project. Is there anyone reading this who has not heard about our budgetary woes in Elbert County? 

The next iteration of the Elbert County BOCC needs to proceed with this project using the utmost caution.  Questions must be answered.  Where will the water come from if the aquifers cannot provide adequate flow?  What is the impact on existing roadways?  Will these houses generate a desirable tax base that sustains the new residents? What responsibility does the county owe to its current residents over those who do not yet live here?  What are the buildout requirements for the developer so that we know they are a serious and responsible partners with our county?  Where are the jobs for these new homeowners? Does this community provide compatible commercial development?  Have the Open Space requirements changed since this was the Bandera project?  And exactly what happens to the water pipelines that will be put in place for Independence West and East if the project tanks?  

I believe that IF this development is viable and able to improve Elbert County, then it should be built.  But I also believe that there are some serious red flags. If it is not built to the highest standards with all of the aforementioned questions answered to the satisfaction of the residents of the surrounding communities, then it should go away.