Atop the 400-foot-tall Nebraska State Capitol stands a statue called The Sower, which seems appropriate for a substantially agricultural state. The figure is sowing seeds, of course, but has also been described as representing the “chief purpose in forming society, to sow nobler ideas of living.”
We’ve sown many seeds in Estes over 150 years. We cultivate, we weed, we nurture, we harvest. As a result, Estes changes, mostly in good ways.
Historically, we’ve had many folks who have planted creative ideas and produced good results. F. O. Stanley, Enos Mills, Isabella Bird, Eleanor Hondius, and many other names resonate from the past. A statue of Wendy Koenig, our first female mayor, is in the Women’s Monument at Riverside and East Elkhorn, along with eleven other women who positively affected the town’s development.
There are plenty of men, too, who have done much for our town over these years!
That’s a lot of seeds that have been scattered and sown atop this rocky soil.
In the present time, the Estes Dementia Day Center is planned to ripen and open in April. The grant for new facilities for EVICS is great nourishment for their very important services. The business owners, the Chamber of Commerce, and others who are forming the Community Support Group for Exchange Workers — J-1s — are on the right track. We keep hoping that Salud can be saved, and we till that soil in various directions. And we added two more “women of impact” — Victoria Endsley and Ruby Bode — from a group of movers and shakers.
Lots of good folks keep “cropping up.”
Educators sow seeds of knowledge every day. I visited the 7th and 8th grades to chat about Town government and projects, and to hear the students’ ideas and advice. The benefits of those conversations to me are immediately useful. The teachers impress me with their wisdom and stamina.
Words are the seeds of ideas, and it’s important to choose words wisely to convey our ideas clearly. I’ve been reminded by a few citizens that some words can be triggers. Those reminders help me shape the clarity of my statements by weeding out words that might be polarizing or easily misinterpreted.
And we have controversy. Some projects are sore subjects. For those, it is the responsibility of the trustees to do their best to look at the long-term effects on Estes.
Wonderview was polarizing when it was built but it seems indispensable in the present.
The growing pains of the Loop still reverberate. Let’s see how it settles. It’s not perfect, but I think, like Wonderview, it does make our town more pleasant to visit and travel in and through.
The Cleave Street renovation project stirred up a dust storm. Now there’s the Whimsadoodle Cleave vision + the Housing Authority’s apartments + the Town’s plan for more parking. It must all be done humanely and with strong communication throughout, and I will clearly state my expectations for that.
Many people want the Elkhorn Lodge renovation to be completed, the so-called Phase 1. Like the Stanley Hotel, the Elkhorn is seen as a major historical institution that could anchor the west end again if brought back to glory. Many opposed the Elkhorn Lodge Phase 2 annexation and rezoning. I read and heard all the input. I tested my feelings repeatedly through the process.
Two months later, I still support my vote. My decision was made based on hearing from everyone and then weighing that with my vision of the long-term future. I felt that completing Elkhorn One was worthy but would fail without Elkhorn Two. In my vision of 2076, when the USA is celebrating 300 years, Elkhorn 2 looks good on that hill to me. In my vision, it doesn’t ruin Estes and it fits well. Perhaps some nearby areas will spiff up if/when that’s in place.
The Fish Hatchery housing project is working its way through the system. There have been numerous adjustments and downsizing by the Housing Authority based on community input, but there are some concerns still raised by citizens.
I’ve discussed the evacuation concerns with the Fire District and am convinced that their evacuation logic is vastly superior to 2020. The best lesson for possible future evacuations—remember, we’ve only had one—is to address the outlying areas early. Though every disaster is different, the East Troublesome taught us much. A fire can jump the Divide. Evacuations must occur at an earlier stage. What used to be voluntary evacuation time will need to be mandatory evacuation time, and properly staged.
I do believe, whatever shape the next disaster takes, we have tremendous incident command strength in our Fire District, our EMS team, our EPPD, and more.
So, we sow. And we harvest. As challenges arise, we work toward solutions. Mountain Strong is still true, 12.5 years after the great flood of 2013 and 5.5 years after the biggest fires. We stand strong six years after the pandemic and the future keeps coming.
We must be gardeners who care a lot, who weed out the tears and grow good crops.