After 10 years as a board member, Mayor Pro Tem Perry Lewis was recognized for his work at his last meeting.
Trustee Todd Kearns presented a certificate of appreciation on behalf of the board at the March 26 meeting.
"We decided to dig back into what projects Perry's been involved with, and we kind of decided every project," Kearns said.
Looking back on his time in office, Lewis later told The Mancos Times that he was proud to be apart of bringing high-speed fiber-optic lines to Mancos and stabilizing the Town Marshal's Office.
In 2002, Lewis gave a presentation to the board about the need for high-speed lines, and a member questioned the need for it.
Now, new fiber lines are nearly complete, and Lewis is pleased to leave the town knowing it will soon have competitive Internet service to offer businesses.
After seeing at least five town marshals come and go, he was also happy the office is no longer a stepping stone for officers fresh out of the academy.
"I'm pleased to say our law enforcement is stellar," he said.
Learning about the finer points of infrastructure and making longterm decisions for the town was rewarding for him.
"I loved it. I really did," he said.
On Tuesday, the responsibility passed to newly elected trustees.
"I've got the political bug out of my system," he said.
In the future, he hopes the town will take action to foster greater economic diversity and develop downtown in partnership with private landowners.
"We need to be aggressive, and we need to step up and say what are the steps the town can do to partner, to encourage," he said.
With greater economic diversity the town could collect more sales taxes and be able to invest in needed infrastructure improvements, he said.
Lewis is hopeful that the new board members and a town administrator will be able to take the right steps to help the community encourage smart growth.
"Now is the time for Mancos to prosper," he said.
mshinn@cortezjournal.com
