JOURNAL 05/07/2006

Spent too much time this morning reading about John Wilkes Booth's fugitive
state after assassinating Lincoln (as an actor in the 1860s, Booth was
making $25,000-30,000 annually), so report time is limited.

Mostly what I've been thinking about are items from Jaclyn's school report.
The second draft of the budget is a little bigger and more balanced, but the
planned contribution to the district's reserves has been lowered by
$164,000.

Annoyingly, the district's CASP reading scores have dropped, so the federal
answer to problem areas is to cut funding. While the feds are throwing more
money at drug awareness education, Title I funds and teacher education
monies have been cut. This sort of punitive action is why 21 states are
looking into Just Saying No to federal funds.

But the issue where I thought the GVCA could perhaps make a difference is in
street crossing. An eighth grader on a bike got hit by a car at the Denver
and 11th intersection last week.

Although riding bikes on the sidewalk is against the law (state? city?),
teachers and administrators encourage the kids to do this because it's
safer. Until kids get hit by cars that are focused on finding a break in the
heavy school drop-off/pick-up traffic.

Butch suggested posting crossing guards at that intersection, but Jaclyn
said the school can't get enough crossing guard volunteers to man the
Arthur-11th intersection as it is.

Perhaps, and not necessarily for the remaining month of school, the GVCA
could take some of those needed crossing guard positions. While parents
aren't necessarily happy with the later start time, it means I'd be more
likely to get out of bed and volunteer for a morning shift. (And my niece in
Arvada, it turns out -- at least on Fridays -- doesn't go to school until 9
a.m. She's a first-grader.)

Just a thought, anyway.

And then I was reading a Denver Post Perspective section (which I purloined
from a local restaurant on Sunday), which had two commentaries that didn't
initially seem to be connected, one on "Disappearing Farmland" and the other
on "Ground Shifting for DPS (Denver Public Schools."

According to Pam Kiely, land-use associate of Environment Colorado, this
state is "losing the equivalent of five family farms a week." She also
maintains that tourism will be adversely affected by agricultural land loss,
and cites studies done in Gunnison and Routt counties.

I'm not familiar with the study -- is anyone else? Apparently it reports
that if Gunnison ranches were sold and developed, the econnomic loss,
including multipliers, would be close to $14.6 million.

The school commentary reviewed Denver's changing demographic and suggested
that the district needs to bring down fixed costs, perhaps by closing
schools. This was the figure that really shocked me: the city of Denver has
240,000 households, and 75% of them are childless.

Gunnison's demographics seem to be changing, perhaps not along such a
drastic line, but following a pattern, and part of what's fueling that are
developments sprouting up in what used to be family ranch pastures.

Richard reported on Gary Garland's Larkspur development near Skyland.  The
Allens and the Guerrieris are the last ranchers standing along Brush Creek.
Commenttor Pam Kiely talked abut the large pressure on rahcn families, many
of whom love what they do, but many of whom find their livelihood less
profitable while the value of their land skyrockets.

They were an interesting pair of commentaries, anyway, and like I said,
initially they don't seem terribly connected, but a lot of it seems to be
coming together here in Gunnison County.

And now I must be gone. We'll see who wins out tomorrow: the villainous John
Wilkes Booth, or the GVCA.

TL

A reply to a reply:
> Maybe high school kids could be enlisted to serve as crossing guards?
> Student Leadership kids?  As a community service?

Ken Medina suggested this during city council tonight, but Stu replied that
liability issues are too large for underage crossing guards.

Bill Nesbitt suggested that perhaps some of the congestion might be
alleviated next year, since student traffic might not be competing with
people heading to work and college students heading for 8 a.m. classes.

Ken Coleman said staff wants to make two four-ways stops on 11th, one at
Denver and the other at Virginia.

TL