Once again, we are taking a crack at topics of community value and interest that will ignite lively discussions in 2024. Here goes:
* Southwest economies steam ahead. The Dow Jones Industrial Average achieved a new all-time high close on Dec. 19. Nice way to ready for the new year. Unemployment remains low and consumers continue spending. All good signs for the Southwest.
Housing remains crazy expensive and we expect a hit on property taxes, no matter what the state legislative task force recommends. But a recession, predicted by economists this time last year, is in the rearview mirror.
* More robust discussions on Malfunction Junction. The best minds in Durango are on this, as evidenced in strong letters to the editor. The intersection of 3rd Avenue, 15th Street and Florida Road has always been dicey with, what feels like, ever-increasing traffic.
Plans may come out of public forums hosted by the city, but we don’t expect them to satisfy every resident. Residents will scrutinize intensely. But then, another option may be to do absolutely nothing. As challenging as this intersection is, it may be the best possible interchange. All we know is that most everyone we’ve met has an opinion about Malfunction Junction.
* More ridership on trolley. Durango Transit’s free trolley rides were a hit last summer and boosted regular fare ridership in September 2023, up 610 riders from September 2022. We expect more Durangoans will leave their cars behind and hop a ride. Durango City Council approved funding in the 2024 budget, so we’ll see you on the trolley.
* More to come on restructuring of advisory boards. Durango residents cried foul when city councilors dissolved, reconfigured and combined five advisory boards, including Infrastructure; Multimodal; Natural Lands Preservation; Parks and Recreation; and Strategic and Long-Term Finance.
Councilors cited redundancy, inefficiency and too many resources expended to achieve the same outcomes. They also said restructured boards will foster public engagement. But this restructuring resulted in fewer seats and Durangoans like to be involved. 2024 will be a year of experimentation, for sure.
* New research following Indian boarding schools report. Released in October, the final report, “Federal Indian Boarding Schools in Colorado: 1880-1920,” brought to light harmful conditions and found 31 deaths at the Fort Lewis school, a threefold increase over what was reported to Washington, D.C. This includes 15 students of either Ute or Southern Ute tribal affiliation.
This report will attract scholars and students who will build on research in the Southwest, and delve deeper into histories of the lives of Indigenous people that don’t align with U.S. and Colorado’s records. Much more work will come of it.
* The Durango-La Plata County Airport’s terminal expansion. The $36 million expansion will increase the airport terminal’s size by 60%, along with a renovation of the existing space. All built with no taxpayer dollars. We’ll see vaulted ceilings, natural lighting and clear reminders that passengers are arriving to the Four Corners.
This last mention is what we’re most excited about – the Southern Ute Indian Tribe’s choices in depicting culture and history in high visibility areas of the airport, where half a million travelers pass through every year. We look forward to the tribe’s designs and plans in utilizing the airport’s new spaces.
* Hermosa to Durango Bike Trail. Momentum continually picks up to build this trail, expected to cost $6.5 million to $8 million with construction taking six to 10 years. We hope to see La Plata County and the city of Durango joining forces with joint sales tax dollars – ideal to seed this project – as early as 2024. How could they not? It’s a project that’s easy to love.
While keeping staff members on this task, volunteers will research all avenues of funding. Might as well tap into grant money out there in this era of green infrastructure.
* Bigfoot will return. In October, images of Bigfoot went viral after a Wyoming couple on the Durango & Silverton Narrow Gauge Railroad train shared video.
Bigfoot lives a remote, quiet lifestyle, but we expect he will reappear. He likes the attention too much.
