Vail Daily’s Hits & Misses
Send your Hit or Miss to Don Rogers at editor@vaildaily.com ,or call 970-748-2920.MISS: From a reader to the county’s open-space tax. “The question that should be put in front of Eagle County voters is the open-space tax, a 25-year tax that was passed in November 2002 by 51 votes out of 11,265 and could generate more than $100 million to be spent on open space in Eagle County. To date, many of the purchases which the Open Space Advisory Committee has recommended and the county commissioners have approved have little or no public access and aren’t really even viewable by the public. The question of whether or not we, the citizens of Eagle County, want to continue to tax ourselves $4 million per year for the next 17 years to purchase open space with public funds that is not accessible by the public in a county where 80 percent of the land is already open space by virtue of it being owned by the federal government needs to be brought before voters, either to change the criteria for which open-space funds are spent to abolish the tax.”MISS: From a reader to “barking dogs and … owners who think their neighbors are concerned about the Mongol horde the dog is warning us about.” MISS: From the same reader to “the same idiot neighbor who turns their porch-garage light on, a light shining into the night, shouting the message, ‘I’m an idiot, afraid of the dark!’ It’s Vail, for God’s sake. We’re safe here. Empty your garage and park there!”HIT: To redneck entertainment, which is in short supply in our foo-foo valley full of classical acts and world-class sophistication and all that. The demolition derby at the fairgrounds a week ago Friday provided quite a different sort of fun, and packed the rodeo stands to the gills. There’s a niche here with real demand. MISS: To silly assertions that a 15-mile “zipper” will make a real difference in the gridlock between the Front Range and the ski resorts. A study for the state touts that moveable lanes will cut the trip during peak times to and from the “mountains” in half. Well, sure, between – get this – Silver Plume and Denver. But who is going to Silver Plume, other than to get away from the gridlock that surely will move there and points west of there? Much as we all love Silver Plume, is that worth $35 million to move gridlock a few miles, and still between the true destination and home for the Front Rangers who clog the highway? Save the $35 million for any of myriad more important matters in this time of want. HIT: To Mike Kloser, the legendary adventure and outdoor athlete who at age 50 still challenges the top pros – those “kids” – in bike races and still has every reason to expect to win in the World Championships for adventure racing in Spain in early October, as well as a tune-up race in China with teammates Jay Henry, Dan Weiland and Gretchen Reeves. Now he’s talking about retirement after those races, especially if he wins. Our reaction? No way, although assuredly he’ll take time to cheer on daughter Heidi, a top moguls racer, and son Christian, who may well eclipse Dad in his turn. That is, if the old man ever slows down.
