Listen to Mayor’s Message on the EVV Podcast here:
I’ll continue my recent focus on local entities and partner institutions – my “local focal point.” National policy is in a state of great change and some of those may affect the Town and our critical partners. I’m working to stay attuned to those real or potential impacts; some will take time to settle, filter down, and understand. Others might be more immediate.
All in all, the Town Board and Town staff must continue to work to maintain our local services as best we can during these turbulent times.
The Park School District
I think the world of Superintendent Ruby Bode and her team. They are entrusted with our most precious human resource, our youthful students.
Ruby’s crew navigates challenging regulations and finances to provide guidance, education, opportunity, and fun to the ever-changing crop of kiddos. I am cheered to see how they nurture those budding brains with humanity and compassion. I recall the critical junctures in my life when I became aware of social issues and more. Many of those epiphanies started in my school years; the Estes kids are at some of those highly impressionable times.
These are the moments that, to a large degree, shape their comprehension of the world, their discoveries of self, and their directions in how they interact with future adult peers. I support the superintendent’s enlightened efforts, and those of her staff, to shape our children’s futures.
I have concerns about the shrinking student population due to the challenges of young families being able to afford living here. That drives me to support workforce housing projects and childcare causes.
Eagle Rock School
I had the opportunity to meet with a couple of the administrative staff members in January. That is an amazing and strong organization on the hill up there. Over 30+ years, they’ve had so many bright students pass through, kids who were looking for a different creative path in their pre-college education, and who found it at Eagle Rock. In fact, the administrators I met with were prior students, so it feeds itself.
Safeway
We all know some of the dedicated, hardworking staff by name. Some have been there for a long time, serving our community. They need more of those dedicated, dependable workers. Send strong workforce members their way!
Most of the time, I find what I’m looking for at Safeway. In the aisles, I always meet a friend or three, including employees. Those dedicated staffers are key to the operation. We’re lucky to have a supermarket in town. Before 1985 or so, we didn’t have one. I support them in spirit and commerce. There will always be the challenge of visitor surges versus inventory, but Manager Jared Allen and his team work to compensate.
I know that many folks supplement from Front Range stores if they can. Perhaps there will be additional stores in the future, or options for delivery from Front Range stores will become broad and affordable in the future as transport systems evolve. I’ll continue to encourage options.
I also enjoy stopping in The Country Market for the goods that they keep. Our Safeway supermarket is essential to Estes, and I will continue to be there. (The self-service line moves quickly even when long!)
USPS
The feds should move the Post Office to an easily accessible location in Estes Park and modernize the building to foreseeable future standards. I have less optimism for that in the near term, given the uncertainty of much federal funding. But I’ll continue to encourage such a move. It would be great for the P.O. and its patrons.
In my 21+ years in Estes, I’ve had almost universally good experiences with our local post office. I appreciate that others may have had issues, but it works for me. (That has nothing to do with being mayor; that’s only been since April.)
When I mail something, it gets where it needs to go in the time expected. When I’m expecting mail, it gets to me in proper time and condition. I’ve had great interactions at the front desk for two decades. I give random treats and thank-yous to my delivery people, that’s not an easy job. Still, I will continue to nudge toward a future solution that makes our post office more accessible in a modern building.
Truss Bridges, Flying Buttresses, and Geodesic Domes
You might have noticed my theme: Support! I want these institutions to succeed. My goal with these critical entities is to understand their path and reinforce their efforts with the strength of my office.
Estes is like an architectural entity in which the components must share support. We can’t do it in separate silos. Our Estesian components must work together to share the weight and support the whole structure. We need each other’s support, and we need to freely offer ours.