JOURNAL 01/29/06
I don't even have a good reason for not doing a journal last week, other
than I just didn't feel like it. This did, however, cause a couple of
concerns that maybe we'd switched e-list providers and left a couple of
people off.

We do need to switch, not the least of which is this: "Yahoo  is now using
something called 'Web Beacons' to track Yahoo Group users around  the net
and see what you're doing and where  you are going similar to cookies.
Yahoo is recording every website  and  every group you visit."

So we will be switching, and soon, but everyone will be notified. You'll all
be switched over automatically, and shouldn't really notice anything
different -- except that your activities around the internet won't be
tracked by a company that has already proven to be only to happy to hand
that information over to the White House.

And, since we met on the first holiday of the year (New Year's Day), many of
our members see no reason why we shouldn't meet on a bigger holiday: Super
Bowl Sunday. However, it's likely to be with a diminished quorum. So we will
be meeting, but next week's jounral will be up to someone other than Vikki
and I, both of whom will be comfortably ensconced before the altars of our
TV sets.

Today's topics (some of which may become tomorrow's topics):

1) Council Revisiting Design Standards
    This week's work session (Tuesday at 7, for anyone interested) is
devoted exclusively to the design standards that many folks spent a lot of
time -- and money -- working on. To be fair, four-fifths of this council got
stuck with the final approval of this legislation without going through the
process (although Ellen attended all of the meetings as a private citizen),
and so perhaps this is just an informational meeting. But one wonders why,
since Wal-Mart -- so far as we know -- failed to respond to its exclusive
invite to critique the design standards, this issue needs to be revisited
without waiting for the rest of the Land Development Code to be revised.

2) Master Planning Process
    Despite a distinct lack of notification regarding the occasion of
meetings, the planning commission is starting to discuss the master plan,
and it could have marked implications for county development.

Both of which bring me to:

3) Public Bodies, the Public's Right to Know, and Crappy TV
    The city planning commission doesn't seem to care that its meetings
aren't being noticed in a public forum; the school board doesn't seem to
care. City council provides agendas for those signed up via e-mail, or those
who request them via regular mail, but doesn't publish its agenda. Both the
county commissioners and county planning commission publish all their
meetings in the legals section. We would like more public bodies to do the
same. We also want to know why, when local radio station purveyors and WSC
professors think the problem is solvable for a nominal couple hundred
dollars, the televised sound quality in city council chambers is so
reprehensible.

4) Detention Facility
    The second task-force meeting went better than the first, participants
reported. Several sites underwent discussion; it may still be that the
downtown site is the best, but others will be considered. Task force members
will tour the current jail and talk with the architect of the proposed jail
on Feb. 6.

5) RTA Ground Transportation
    Richard sent out the report by Scott Truex. The RTA is in the process of
forming a task force; the only downvalley representatives present at the
initial meeting were Neal Starkebaum of the county, Steve Westbay of the
city, and Richard Karas, who objected to the number of Gunnison-bashing
comments made by the group.  A second meeting should solidify the make-up of
the task force.

6) Essential Housing
    The county completed its four hearings on the proposed legislation, but
the official public hearings will take place in March. The Gunnison Country
Times, in an editorial, corrected a broad misconception: the county is NOT
taking any property from anyone under this proposal, but requiring that 30
percent of the units be sold under deed restrictions. The developer still
pockets the money from the sales.

7)  RE-1J
    The superintendent search ash been narrowed to six seminfinalists, five
of them from Colorado, one from South Dakota, all of them either
superintendents or assistant supes in their current positions. Opportunities
for citizens to meet the finalists and provide feedback to search committee
members will come Feb. 6-17. School nurse Dawn Helman is looking into
addressing community health concerns such as drug use and risky behavior; we
are going to suggest that she talk to the police chief to see if their goals
are mutually compatible.

8) Immigration on the November Ballot
    Mary Burt has a link to a webcast of a debate aired on Channel 9 on the
immigration issue, and it's clear from this debate that the issue will be on
the November ballot, and that it's likely to be a nasty, expensive campaign.
Regarding Greg Anderson's request with assistance with a community workshop,
Butch visited John Campbell's website and said the gentleman offered
impressive credentials.

9) GVCA Table at Farmers' Market
    We are interested in manning (and womanning) a booth tht would accept
overages donated by local gardeners who are not interested in selling at the
market themselves. We have not picked a charity to which all proceeds would
go, although we are leaning toward the Food Bank, and the possibility exists
that leftover produce might find a home somewhere too, possibly at the
Living Center.

10) Tough Enough to Wear Pink
    Members of Cattlemen's Days Inc. are turning the Thursday nigh rodeo
(July 13) into a fund-raiser for breast cancer research and awareness. ALL
of the money raised will be spent locally -- the newly-forming task force (a
familiar theme today) has yet to determine the recipient or the nature of
the funding. But organizer Kevin Coblentz is looking to make this a
COMMUNITY event, one that brings us all together for a good cause. Dan
Marshall from the hospital reported that over 300 people from Gunnison (all
forms of cancer, not just breast) utilized oncology services in either Grand
Junction or Montrose last year.

11) Election Machines
    Pat will provide the particulars, but if you get a chance Wednesday, you
can provide input on the new voting machines the county will be purchasing.

Okay, I do have details on some of these items, but that will have to wait
for another day. This is what you get for now.

TL