'We regret to inform you. . .'

One family finds closure

By Richard Walter

Because of Jon Reid and hundreds of thousands like him, I have the freedom to write this and you have the freedom to choose whether you wish to read it.

Most of us didn't know Jon Reid, but many know his brother, Mike, the Colorado Division of Wildlife officer for Pagosa Springs and environs.

For nearly 30 years - after a helicopter gunship piloted by the 22-year-old Jon Reid went down in a Laotian jungle during the Vietnam War - Mike Reid and his family held out hope in varying degrees that Jon had survived the crash.

Only late last year was there confirmation of Jon's apparent death in the wreckage. DNA testing on two teeth found at a crash site proved the relationship to blood samples taken from two family members.

Nearly three decades of hopes based in great part on an eyewitness account of two men seen running from wreckage toward a nearby tree line and - perhaps - safety were suddenly ended.

Until that time, there were the unanswered questions:

Was Jon a prisoner? Was he alive but badly injured? Was he alive but a victim of amnesia induced by crash injuries? All passed through the minds of members of his family and of servicemen with whom he served.

The Reids, living in Arizona when the crash occurred on Feb. 20, 1971, continued to hope Jon had survived, that some day he would return and live his dream as a Colorado hunting guide or outfitter. It was a dream he had outlined for his sister, Roxena, the last time she saw him as she drove him from her home in Fort Collins to the airport in Denver for his flight to the war zone in Southeast Asia.

As we prepare to mark another Memorial Day saluting those who have fallen in the name of their country and for the cause of freedom, it is a time to reflect on the personal stories of men like Jon Reid and their families.

He wasn't a Pagosa Country native. He wasn't even a Colorado resident. But he had visited the state, had worked on a Colorado ranch, and was filled with the wonder of the state and the sense of freedom one could find in its wilds.

Every family with a son or daughter away at war has a foreboding of telegrams, telephone calls or knocks at the door when no one is expected. They fear the familiar government words, "We regret to inform you. . . ."

Mike tells of being in bed when his family's doorbell rang and hearing the subsequent scream of his mother. "I was 14 and sort of didn't know what to do. I knew what it was without hearing what it was. I think I hid under a pillow."

There is probably no family in Archuleta County which has not been affected at one time or another by the death of a family member, friend, or friend of a friend on a battlefield somewhere in the world.

Valiant members of our armed forces who did not return are saluted during Memorial Day ceremonies. It is a national holiday commemorating efforts by people such as Jon Reid. There is no school, no work for many, picnics aplenty, ball games, races, beer busts and - lest we forget - ceremonies paying homage to those who made the ultimate sacrifice that we might have the freedom to enjoy all these events.

From every neighborhood in Pagosa Country - Chromo to Upper Piedra, Mill Creek to Arboles, Blanco Basin to Yellowjacket and from Pagosa Springs to Pagosa Junction - young men and women have gone away to war on behalf of their nation.

Like Jon Reid, they were simply Americans, no matter what their ethnic heritage. Some, like Reid, did not come back.

They all are mourned and missed.

They went with dedication, bravery and prayer that the price they were willing to pay might be the bargain rate for future freedoms for their loved ones.

Mike notes his brother was not extra-patriotic. He joined the military because he had a low draft number. "He had no fervent belief that the war was right," Mike says, "but he would not let someone else go in his place. He kind of fell into the category of youth who feel invincible and this was a way of testing that feeling."

He recalls that when the unidentifiable remains from the crash site were buried in Arlington National Cemetery on Jan. 14, he was amazed by the number of people who showed up, men who had known his brother in training, who had served with him and others drawn simply because they, too, had served in Vietnam.

One man attending had enlisted at the same time as Jon; another came from Alaska for the memorial ceremony. "Outside of immediate family," Mike wonders, "is there any setting where, 30 years later, you'd attend a service for someone you knew for such a short time or knew only by association?"

Asked what one thing he remembers most about Jon, Mike said, "It's tough to narrow it down. I was the youngest of four children and the others always seemed closer to each other because they were closer to the same age."

"I have a job doing what he wanted. Sometimes I wonder if he had come back if I would have set a different course for myself."

He remembers the two of them going into the desert target shooting, citing one instance when Jon stepped on a rattlesnake and emptied a carbine into it on the spot.

"I used to build go-carts," he said, "and Jon would haul us out into the mountains where I could run downhill in them. He was definitely someone to look up to. He had his failings, but which of us doesn't?

"When I met all the guys who had been there (Vietnam) with him I got the impression they are all starting to look back - they're now in their 50s - and review what happened. Those guys never got a word of thanks and now they have to be their own support group."

Through meeting those men, Mike said, "I got new stories about my brother, about how he lived and behaved under fire. Suddenly he got to be eight months older (the length of time he was in the war zone) and I was able to fill in some of the blanks."

Asked if he had any special plan in mind for Memorial Day, Mike said, "I've always had a kind of personal introspection about Jon, remembering most the good times we had. This is the first time I won't have to wonder. What strikes me is that I've always felt I'd had some closure.

"My dad (Bill Reid) always expected him to come back home. He had a map of the crash site on the refrigerator. He knew Jon was an outdoorsman and believed his son was living in the jungle."

Sister Rowena has said of her dad, "He walked my brother out of that jungle 500 different ways. It was heartbreaking."

Mike said his mother, Audrey, had accepted the fact Jon was not going to come back but wanted to know what happened.

To that end, Mrs. Reid joined others in POW-MIA groups, collected sweets and soap for Red Cross shipments to men presumed to be prisoners of war and in late 1971 even went to Vientiane, Laos, with the other sister, Karen, hoping to find on their own some clue the government and military had not yet turned up.

Mike, however, had come to believe Jon was not coming home. "I saw him coming out of the helicopter like John Wayne or Butch Cassidy. He wouldn't let himself be a prisoner. I saw him go out with guns blazing."

The boys' father, a World War II pilot, died in a plane crash in 1972 and their mother passed away in 1989, just months after Americans were allowed to enter Laos for the first time to look for missing soldiers. Mike says his mother had always said, "The army lost my son, they can find him, too." She just didn't live long enough to see her prediction come true.

Mike, who has sons 13 and 15, said they haven't really had deep discussions about patriotism. "I've told them a little about their uncle, but to them it's ancient history. For that discussion to have any meaning, they have to want to have it."

Noting there were two other men (crew chief Randolph Johnson and door gunner Robert Acadiotto) aboard the flight with Jon and his co-pilot David May (the other man whose remains were buried in Arlington), Mike said his Memorial Day thoughts "will be with their families. There has been no closure for them. They can presume. They can guess. But they don't really know."

As of Nov. 8, 1998, 2,078 Americans were still listed as unaccounted for in Vietnam. "We can now remove two from that list," Reid said. "But 2,076 families still don't know what happened to their loved ones."

That total is larger than the official population of the town of Pagosa Springs.

Final closure for the Reid family will come in July when the teeth found at the crash site in October 1999, and identified as those of Jon Reid, are buried in a family plot in Idaho.

That is the story of Jon Reid, anyman USA. Not a superman, not a superhero. Just a son, a brother and an American to the core.

Mike Reid has reams of reports about and photos of the search scene where his brother's remains were found. But he suggests anyone wanting to learn more about Vietnam read Tom Marshall's book billed as "a true story of helicopter pilots in Vietnam - where life was hell, but death was 'The Price of Exit'."

True valor comes from men and women putting their very lives on the line for freedom's sake.

Please honor those who did not return with your own Memorial Day salute.

(Some background material for this story was extracted with permission from copyrighted articles in the Arizona Republic).

Legion Post will honor war dead in dual ceremonies

American Legion Post 108 will observe Memorial Day in Town Park and Hilltop Cemetery Monday starting with a brief presentation at the Legion Hall at 8:15 a.m. The color guard will assemble at 7:45 a.m.

Ceremonies at Hilltop will start at 9 a.m. following Catholic Mass.

Boy Scouts and Girl Scouts will assist Legion members in placing flags on veterans' graves at 4 p.m. Sunday.

All veterans are invited to attend and the public is welcome at both ceremonies.

The Legion cites this statement extracted from Abraham Lincoln's Gettysburg Address as their Memorial Day credo:

". . . that from these honored dead, we take increased devotion to that cause for which they gave the last full measure of devotion. . ."

Archuleta County lost 27 men in four major wars: eight in World War I, 17 in World War II, one in Korea and three in Vietnam. They were:

Lester W. Mullins, William P. Gould, Eligio Madrid, Epifanio Trujillo, Jose E. Vigil, Elmer Hotz, Juan Ruybalid, Louis S. Martinez, Joseph B. Nickerson, Frank Gallegos, Edward Valdez, Hugh Melrose, Charles Freeman.

Also, Fred Quintana, Robert Hill, Alex Montoya, Harley Hazelwood, Joe O'Cana, Rocky Thomson, Eddie Montoya, Anastacio Quintana, Jesus M. Archuleta, Jose A. Manzanares, Marcues Fiebelkorn, Merle Curs, Arthur Lambert and Don Rowland.

Legion members note there are 274 veterans buried in Hilltop Cemetery and 23 in private cemeteries in the county.

Twelve of those were added in the past year, including:

Jim Cloman, Ralph G. Flowers, Robert Hakes, Allen Hofferber, Wesley Lattin, Raymond Littlefield, Reuben Marquez, Brad "Duffy" McCarty, Jesus M. Padilla, Edgar L. Schmid, Samuel Teeson and Philip Wroblewski.

Post 108's Gold Star Mother, Dora Manzanares, whose son, Jose, was killed in Vietnam, also will be honored during the ceremonies.

Pagosa High will graduate 118 in biggest class ever

By Richard Walter

The first graduating class of the century will walk down the aisles in Pagosa Springs High School gymnasium at 10 a.m. Saturday in the school's 90th commencement exercise. It will be the second class to matriculate from the new high school building.

Named co-valedictorians for the class of 2000 were Seth Kurt-Mason, Valerie Niesen and Jake Wills. Co-salutatorians are Ashley Wilson and Erica Rader.

A record number of graduates -118 - will receive diplomas during the ceremony which will be opened by Rader reciting the Class Motto: "When we dream alone, it remains only a dream. When we dream together, it is not only a dream; it's the beginning of reality."

The keynote speaker, selected by the class, will be Leigh Gozigian who teaches history and government classes. She will be introduced by Chelsea Volger-Formwalt.

Ashley Wilson will deliver the senior welcome, Supt. Terry Alley will welcome the class and families and Principal Bill Esterbrook will present the Courage in Education Award. (The recipient will not be known until the presentation).

Delivering the class history will be Kristin Bishop, Janae Esterbrook, Amanda Forrest and Gwyn Lewis.

Esterbrook, Forrest and Volger-Formwalt will be joined by Sarah Huckins, James Kirkham, Kayla Mackey and Bonnie O'Brien to deliver a slide presentation and the class song "Good Riddance (Time of Your Life)" by Green Day, following a rendition of Carl Strommen's "Down That Road" by the high school mixed choir.

Each of the valedictorians will speak before counselor Mark Thompson makes scholarship awards (stipends totaling $203,333 will be presented) and Esterbrook presents the class to the board of education. Dr. Randall Davis, board president, will accept the class prior to the awarding of the diplomas.

Rader will then deliver the benediction and the high school band, directed by Lisa Hartley, will play the recessional.

Class officers were Janae Esterbrook, president; Dorothy Silva, vice president; and Kayla Mackey, secretary-treasurer. Student body officers were Volger-Formwalt, head girl; George Kyriacou, head boy; Meigan Canty, secretary; and Amanda Forest, treasurer.

Junior escorts will be Morgan Egg, Amber Mesker, Daniel Crenshaw and David Goodenberger and the honor guard will include Chris Edwards, Tyrel Ross, Micah Maberry, Clint Shaw, Patrick Riley and Garret Tomforde.

Batch plant proposal bashed by neighbors

By John M. Motter

Shades of the Old West! The proposed construction of a concrete batch plant along U.S. 160 northeast of Pagosa Springs has folks rolling up their sleeves and squaring off. So far, no one has reached for iron, but words are flying faster than bullets at the OK Corral.

It's cattle barons against sodbusters, old timers against newcomers, or in modern terms, NIMBYs (Not In My Back Yard) versus "It's My Property, I'll Do What I Want With It."

The batch plant issue is another example of the forces driving a current county study to establish a "Countywide Vision," a definition of how county residents want to deal with growth in coming years. Ultimately, the study could result in a new countywide growth-management plan.

A second result of the batch plant issue will be the testing of a new county tool designed to deal with growth issues, particularly with land uses that seemingly conflict with other land uses. The tool adopted in March of this year is called a special-use permit. A special-use permit allows county planners and county commissioners to consider a number of non-quantifiable issues bearing on the impacts of a particular land use. Depending upon the judgment of the commissioners, the permit might or might not be issued.

In this case, Don Weber has met with county planning officials in a preapplication meeting prior to opening the concrete batch plant. The preapplication meeting allows the county and the applicant to discuss the proposal in order to make a decision as to its viability. Following the preapplication meeting, the Webers went home with a bundle of papers to complete in order to apply for the special-use permit.

Once the Webers return the documents to the county planning office, a sequence of events follow. All entities affected by Weber's proposal will be notified and invited to respond in writing. A public hearing will be conducted by the Upper San Juan Regional Planning Commission July 12 if Weber returns the documents by June 2. At the public hearing, the planning commission will review the application including any concerns submitted by the other involved entities. Public comment will also be accepted. The planning will either approve the proposal and forward it to the county commissioners, or recommend changes or additional steps. Ultimate responsibility for approving or denying the proposal rests with the commissioners.

Weber's role compares with that of the cattle baron, the old-timer, or the "It's my property. . . ." He expresses surprise at the opposition. "I didn't know we were going to create all of this upset," Weber said. "We planned to use the property the way it's always been used. I just want to be a good neighbor."

Weber said he leased the property to a concrete manufacturer in 1997. The lessee went broke, leaving Weber holding the bag. Since then, the Weber family has planned to recoup by operating a batch plant at the same place.

Weber proposes building the cement batch plant on the east side of U.S. 160 near the San Juan River bridge about 4 miles northeast of Pagosa Springs. The plant site is near, but not directly on, the banks of the river and is visible from the highway.

"That's my property," Weber said. "It has been used for agricultural and industrial purposes for 47 years that I know of. There have been gravel pits and an asphalt plant there for most of that time. The highway department used it for storing materials and equipment. I'm not changing the use of the property. We've been planning the batch plant for some time. We're totally surprised at the opposition to our plans. We've always been good neighbors. I just want to make a living using my property the way it's always been used."

Notification of Weber's plans has been sent to persons living in the surrounding area. The notification is part of the conditional-use permit process. Even though the regulation requires notificatation of people living within 500 feet of the site, the notices were sent to persons living at greater distances.

In general, the notification advises that Weber intends to install a portable batch plant, two buildings, a scrubber/washer plant, aggregate and sand stockpiles, and various equipment. The plant's operating hours could be from 7 a.m. until 7 p.m.

Opposing Weber's batch plant are a group of NIMBYs (Not In My Back Yard) folks.

Representatives of about 20 of the NIMBYs at the regular county commissioner meeting Tuesday gave the usual litany of reasons opposing the proposed batch plant: it creates an eyesore visible from the highway to folks approaching Pagosa Springs; it will pollute the San Juan River; it will create noise pollution; it will create traffic dangers; heavy industrial usage is inappropriate for the location; a batch plant should not be located next to a subdivision.

An out-of-the ordinary complaint was voiced by the owners of Elk Meadows Campground, located across the highway and downstream from the proposed plant.

"Elk Meadows has been our home and business for 22 years. If that plant is approved, it will put us out of business," said Janice Palmer, daughter of Elk Meadows owners Don and Barbara Palmer. "Who wants to visit Pagosa Springs for an outdoor experience and camp across from a concrete plant?"

The protesters also claim the proposed batch plant is not a usage consistent with the best interests of the county. They say a major portion of the county economy depends on tourism, hunters, and retirees seeking a difficult-to-define quiet, peaceful wilderness experience including wildlife and sweeping vistas of the rivers and mountains.

Weber answers the accusations by asserting:

- A serious portion of U.S. 160 frontage in San Juan River Village near the homes of protesters is being advertised for sale as commercial property. "I guess I could buy six acres there and build my batch plant on it."

- The San Juan River Village sewer lagoons with their "slimy green water" are highly visible from U.S. 160 and encountered by entering motorists before reaching the site of the proposed batch plant.

- The batch plant is not visible from the homes of many of the upstream protesters.

- If concrete is such a destructive pollutant, why is the new Pagosa Springs High School built of concrete? Why are all house foundations built of concrete? Why are the trusses and pillars supporting bridges and standing in the river built of concrete?

- Concerning negative impacts the proposed batch plant may have on the Elk Meadows Campground, Weber points out that a batch plant formerly stood for years along U.S. 160 at the crest of Put Hill and adjacent to an RV park which appeared to succeed very well.

- Installation of the batch plant is a continuation of traditional use, not a change.

- The batch plant will add to the local economy by hiring local people and will be "locally owned" something most concrete suppliers in the area cannot claim.

"They say I've done something illegal, but I haven't," Weber said. "The metal building didn't require a building permit because it was erected for agricultural purposes. I've always run cattle on property I own surrounding that site.

"The batch plant is portable and I've never operated it," Weber continued. "I've gone to the county planning office and applied for a permit, just the way I'm supposed to. I am complying with the law."

Planning department officials agree that Weber is complying with the regulations. Because he has not returned the completed forms needed to initiate the conditional use process, county officials refuse to comment because nothing official has happened.

Interpretation of the conditional-uses permit enabling document will guide the commissioners when they make a final decision on the Weber application. The decision may have long-range implications relative to land usage in the San Juan River Corridor of Archuleta County.

In its purpose and intent paragraph, the conditional uses document states:

"Conditional uses are land uses that have potential for causing adverse impacts on other uses because of such factors as location, method of operation, scale or intensity of activity, or traffic generated. Because of their unusual or special characteristics, conditional uses require review and evaluation so that they may be located properly with respect to their effects on surrounding properties and Archuleta County at large. Conditional uses may be permitted subject to such conditions and limitations as Archuleta County may prescribe. The intent is to ensure that the location and operation of the conditional use is in accordance with the development objectives of the county (per the Archuleta County Master Plan) and will not be detrimental to other uses or properties. Where conditions cannot be devised to achieve these objectives, or it is not possible to mitigate adverse impacts, applications for conditional uses shall not be approved."

The document goes on to say:

"For clarification purposes only, conditional uses shall include, but not be limited to: commercial uses; industrial uses; multi-family dwellings (with some exceptions); airports; mining or extraction activities; transportation services and facilities; major new water systems; major new sewage systems; major extensions of existing water systems; major extensions of existing sewage systems; water storage facilities; water impoundments; telecommunications facilities; natural gas transmission pipelines; electric power generation facilities; electric power transmission lines; utility substations; and sanitary landfills."

In the case of Weber's batch plant, battle lines have been drawn, the legal process initiated, and an outcome is forthcoming. When the showdown comes, the county commissioners will be wearing the badge.

Summer Guide published today

Looking for a place to go in Pagosa Country, somewhere to try out those new hiking shoes or the best fly rod money can buy?

If any of those things interest you, look for answers in our annual Pagosa Country Summer Guide published with today's edition of the SUN.

It features 68 pages of directions to area attractions, outlines of famous and not so famous events of interest, descriptions of scenic views you can enjoy at your leisure, guides to restaurants, lodging, campgrounds and the recreational areas in Pagosa Country.

Cover photos feature the beauty of the upper San Juan basin from the overlook on Wolf Creek Pass looking toward Indian Head mountain on the left; a fisherman trying the waters of the San Juan just outside the front door to the Chamber of Commerce Visitor Center; and a view of one of the many entries in the annual Red Ryder 4th of July parade. All were shot by Jan Brookshier.

The summer guide is designed to provide readers with a handy at-your-fingertips calendar of special events, directory of places to go, and things to see and do.

If you want additional copies to send to friends or family or extra copies to distribute to customers, they are available free at the SUN office.

Support for Patty deeply appreciated

We are truly grateful for the outporing of support, prayers and love we have received over the past three months involving Patty's struggle with cancer.

This is a very difficult time for all of us, but we appreciate the way so many friends have expressed their love and caring for Patty. We thank each and every one of you.

Ross Aragon and family

'We regret to inform you. . .'

One family finds closure

By Richard Walter

Because of Jon Reid and hundreds of thousands like him, I have the freedom to write this and you have the freedom to choose whether you wish to read it.

Most of us didn't know Jon Reid, but many know his brother, Mike, the Colorado Division of Wildlife officer for Pagosa Springs and environs.

For nearly 30 years - after a helicopter gunship piloted by the 22-year-old Jon Reid went down in a Laotian jungle during the Vietnam War - Mike Reid and his family held out hope in varying degrees that Jon had survived the crash.

Only late last year was there confirmation of Jon's apparent death in the wreckage. DNA testing on two teeth found at a crash site proved the relationship to blood samples taken from two family members.

Nearly three decades of hopes based in great part on an eyewitness account of two men seen running from wreckage toward a nearby tree line and - perhaps - safety were suddenly ended.

Until that time, there were the unanswered questions:

Was Jon a prisoner? Was he alive but badly injured? Was he alive but a victim of amnesia induced by crash injuries? All passed through the minds of members of his family and of servicemen with whom he served.

The Reids, living in Arizona when the crash occurred on Feb. 20, 1971, continued to hope Jon had survived, that some day he would return and live his dream as a Colorado hunting guide or outfitter. It was a dream he had outlined for his sister, Roxena, the last time she saw him as she drove him from her home in Fort Collins to the airport in Denver for his flight to the war zone in Southeast Asia.

As we prepare to mark another Memorial Day saluting those who have fallen in the name of their country and for the cause of freedom, it is a time to reflect on the personal stories of men like Jon Reid and their families.

He wasn't a Pagosa Country native. He wasn't even a Colorado resident. But he had visited the state, had worked on a Colorado ranch, and was filled with the wonder of the state and the sense of freedom one could find in its wilds.

Every family with a son or daughter away at war has a foreboding of telegrams, telephone calls or knocks at the door when no one is expected. They fear the familiar government words, "We regret to inform you. . . ."

Mike tells of being in bed when his family's doorbell rang and hearing the subsequent scream of his mother. "I was 14 and sort of didn't know what to do. I knew what it was without hearing what it was. I think I hid under a pillow."

There is probably no family in Archuleta County which has not been affected at one time or another by the death of a family member, friend, or friend of a friend on a battlefield somewhere in the world.

Valiant members of our armed forces who did not return are saluted during Memorial Day ceremonies. It is a national holiday commemorating efforts by people such as Jon Reid. There is no school, no work for many, picnics aplenty, ball games, races, beer busts and - lest we forget - ceremonies paying homage to those who made the ultimate sacrifice that we might have the freedom to enjoy all these events.

From every neighborhood in Pagosa Country - Chromo to Upper Piedra, Mill Creek to Arboles, Blanco Basin to Yellowjacket and from Pagosa Springs to Pagosa Junction - young men and women have gone away to war on behalf of their nation.

Like Jon Reid, they were simply Americans, no matter what their ethnic heritage. Some, like Reid, did not come back.

They all are mourned and missed.

They went with dedication, bravery and prayer that the price they were willing to pay might be the bargain rate for future freedoms for their loved ones.

Mike notes his brother was not extra-patriotic. He joined the military because he had a low draft number. "He had no fervent belief that the war was right," Mike says, "but he would not let someone else go in his place. He kind of fell into the category of youth who feel invincible and this was a way of testing that feeling."

He recalls that when the unidentifiable remains from the crash site were buried in Arlington National Cemetery on Jan. 14, he was amazed by the number of people who showed up, men who had known his brother in training, who had served with him and others drawn simply because they, too, had served in Vietnam.

One man attending had enlisted at the same time as Jon; another came from Alaska for the memorial ceremony. "Outside of immediate family," Mike wonders, "is there any setting where, 30 years later, you'd attend a service for someone you knew for such a short time or knew only by association?"

Asked what one thing he remembers most about Jon, Mike said, "It's tough to narrow it down. I was the youngest of four children and the others always seemed closer to each other because they were closer to the same age."

"I have a job doing what he wanted. Sometimes I wonder if he had come back if I would have set a different course for myself."

He remembers the two of them going into the desert target shooting, citing one instance when Jon stepped on a rattlesnake and emptied a carbine into it on the spot.

"I used to build go-carts," he said, "and Jon would haul us out into the mountains where I could run downhill in them. He was definitely someone to look up to. He had his failings, but which of us doesn't?

"When I met all the guys who had been there (Vietnam) with him I got the impression they are all starting to look back - they're now in their 50s - and review what happened. Those guys never got a word of thanks and now they have to be their own support group."

Through meeting those men, Mike said, "I got new stories about my brother, about how he lived and behaved under fire. Suddenly he got to be eight months older (the length of time he was in the war zone) and I was able to fill in some of the blanks."

Asked if he had any special plan in mind for Memorial Day, Mike said, "I've always had a kind of personal introspection about Jon, remembering most the good times we had. This is the first time I won't have to wonder. What strikes me is that I've always felt I'd had some closure.

"My dad (Bill Reid) always expected him to come back home. He had a map of the crash site on the refrigerator. He knew Jon was an outdoorsman and believed his son was living in the jungle."

Sister Rowena has said of her dad, "He walked my brother out of that jungle 500 different ways. It was heartbreaking."

Mike said his mother, Audrey, had accepted the fact Jon was not going to come back but wanted to know what happened.

To that end, Mrs. Reid joined others in POW-MIA groups, collected sweets and soap for Red Cross shipments to men presumed to be prisoners of war and in late 1971 even went to Vientiane, Laos, with the other sister, Karen, hoping to find on their own some clue the government and military had not yet turned up.

Mike, however, had come to believe Jon was not coming home. "I saw him coming out of the helicopter like John Wayne or Butch Cassidy. He wouldn't let himself be a prisoner. I saw him go out with guns blazing."

The boys' father, a World War II pilot, died in a plane crash in 1972 and their mother passed away in 1989, just months after Americans were allowed to enter Laos for the first time to look for missing soldiers. Mike says his mother had always said, "The army lost my son, they can find him, too." She just didn't live long enough to see her prediction come true.

Mike, who has sons 13 and 15, said they haven't really had deep discussions about patriotism. "I've told them a little about their uncle, but to them it's ancient history. For that discussion to have any meaning, they have to want to have it."

Noting there were two other men (crew chief Randolph Johnson and door gunner Robert Acadiotto) aboard the flight with Jon and his co-pilot David May (the other man whose remains were buried in Arlington), Mike said his Memorial Day thoughts "will be with their families. There has been no closure for them. They can presume. They can guess. But they don't really know."

As of Nov. 8, 1998, 2,078 Americans were still listed as unaccounted for in Vietnam. "We can now remove two from that list," Reid said. "But 2,076 families still don't know what happened to their loved ones."

That total is larger than the official population of the town of Pagosa Springs.

Final closure for the Reid family will come in July when the teeth found at the crash site in October 1999, and identified as those of Jon Reid, are buried in a family plot in Idaho.

That is the story of Jon Reid, anyman USA. Not a superman, not a superhero. Just a son, a brother and an American to the core.

Mike Reid has reams of reports about and photos of the search scene where his brother's remains were found. But he suggests anyone wanting to learn more about Vietnam read Tom Marshall's book billed as "a true story of helicopter pilots in Vietnam - where life was hell, but death was 'The Price of Exit'."

True valor comes from men and women putting their very lives on the line for freedom's sake.

Please honor those who did not return with your own Memorial Day salute.

(Some background material for this story was extracted with permission from copyrighted articles in the Arizona Republic).

Legion Post will honor war dead in dual ceremonies

American Legion Post 108 will observe Memorial Day in Town Park and Hilltop Cemetery Monday starting with a brief presentation at the Legion Hall at 8:15 a.m. The color guard will assemble at 7:45 a.m.

Ceremonies at Hilltop will start at 9 a.m. following Catholic Mass.

Boy Scouts and Girl Scouts will assist Legion members in placing flags on veterans' graves at 4 p.m. Sunday.

All veterans are invited to attend and the public is welcome at both ceremonies.

The Legion cites this statement extracted from Abraham Lincoln's Gettysburg Address as their Memorial Day credo:

". . . that from these honored dead, we take increased devotion to that cause for which they gave the last full measure of devotion. . ."

Archuleta County lost 27 men in four major wars: eight in World War I, 17 in World War II, one in Korea and three in Vietnam. They were:

Lester W. Mullins, William P. Gould, Eligio Madrid, Epifanio Trujillo, Jose E. Vigil, Elmer Hotz, Juan Ruybalid, Louis S. Martinez, Joseph B. Nickerson, Frank Gallegos, Edward Valdez, Hugh Melrose, Charles Freeman.

Also, Fred Quintana, Robert Hill, Alex Montoya, Harley Hazelwood, Joe O'Cana, Rocky Thomson, Eddie Montoya, Anastacio Quintana, Jesus M. Archuleta, Jose A. Manzanares, Marcues Fiebelkorn, Merle Curs, Arthur Lambert and Don Rowland.

Legion members note there are 274 veterans buried in Hilltop Cemetery and 23 in private cemeteries in the county.

Twelve of those were added in the past year, including:

Jim Cloman, Ralph G. Flowers, Robert Hakes, Allen Hofferber, Wesley Lattin, Raymond Littlefield, Reuben Marquez, Brad "Duffy" McCarty, Jesus M. Padilla, Edgar L. Schmid, Samuel Teeson and Philip Wroblewski.

Post 108's Gold Star Mother, Dora Manzanares, whose son, Jose, was killed in Vietnam, also will be honored during the ceremonies.

Pagosa High will graduate 118 in biggest class ever

By Richard Walter

The first graduating class of the century will walk down the aisles in Pagosa Springs High School gymnasium at 10 a.m. Saturday in the school's 90th commencement exercise. It will be the second class to matriculate from the new high school building.

Named co-valedictorians for the class of 2000 were Seth Kurt-Mason, Valerie Niesen and Jake Wills. Co-salutatorians are Ashley Wilson and Erica Rader.

A record number of graduates -118 - will receive diplomas during the ceremony which will be opened by Rader reciting the Class Motto: "When we dream alone, it remains only a dream. When we dream together, it is not only a dream; it's the beginning of reality."

The keynote speaker, selected by the class, will be Leigh Gozigian who teaches history and government classes. She will be introduced by Chelsea Volger-Formwalt.

Ashley Wilson will deliver the senior welcome, Supt. Terry Alley will welcome the class and families and Principal Bill Esterbrook will present the Courage in Education Award. (The recipient will not be known until the presentation).

Delivering the class history will be Kristin Bishop, Janae Esterbrook, Amanda Forrest and Gwyn Lewis.

Esterbrook, Forrest and Volger-Formwalt will be joined by Sarah Huckins, James Kirkham, Kayla Mackey and Bonnie O'Brien to deliver a slide presentation and the class song "Good Riddance (Time of Your Life)" by Green Day, following a rendition of Carl Strommen's "Down That Road" by the high school mixed choir.

Each of the valedictorians will speak before counselor Mark Thompson makes scholarship awards (stipends totaling $203,333 will be presented) and Esterbrook presents the class to the board of education. Dr. Randall Davis, board president, will accept the class prior to the awarding of the diplomas.

Rader will then deliver the benediction and the high school band, directed by Lisa Hartley, will play the recessional.

Class officers were Janae Esterbrook, president; Dorothy Silva, vice president; and Kayla Mackey, secretary-treasurer. Student body officers were Volger-Formwalt, head girl; George Kyriacou, head boy; Meigan Canty, secretary; and Amanda Forest, treasurer.

Junior escorts will be Morgan Egg, Amber Mesker, Daniel Crenshaw and David Goodenberger and the honor guard will include Chris Edwards, Tyrel Ross, Micah Maberry, Clint Shaw, Patrick Riley and Garret Tomforde.

Batch plant proposal bashed by neighbors

By John M. Motter

Shades of the Old West! The proposed construction of a concrete batch plant along U.S. 160 northeast of Pagosa Springs has folks rolling up their sleeves and squaring off. So far, no one has reached for iron, but words are flying faster than bullets at the OK Corral.

It's cattle barons against sodbusters, old timers against newcomers, or in modern terms, NIMBYs (Not In My Back Yard) versus "It's My Property, I'll Do What I Want With It."

The batch plant issue is another example of the forces driving a current county study to establish a "Countywide Vision," a definition of how county residents want to deal with growth in coming years. Ultimately, the study could result in a new countywide growth-management plan.

A second result of the batch plant issue will be the testing of a new county tool designed to deal with growth issues, particularly with land uses that seemingly conflict with other land uses. The tool adopted in March of this year is called a special-use permit. A special-use permit allows county planners and county commissioners to consider a number of non-quantifiable issues bearing on the impacts of a particular land use. Depending upon the judgment of the commissioners, the permit might or might not be issued.

In this case, Don Weber has met with county planning officials in a preapplication meeting prior to opening the concrete batch plant. The preapplication meeting allows the county and the applicant to discuss the proposal in order to make a decision as to its viability. Following the preapplication meeting, the Webers went home with a bundle of papers to complete in order to apply for the special-use permit.

Once the Webers return the documents to the county planning office, a sequence of events follow. All entities affected by Weber's proposal will be notified and invited to respond in writing. A public hearing will be conducted by the Upper San Juan Regional Planning Commission July 12 if Weber returns the documents by June 2. At the public hearing, the planning commission will review the application including any concerns submitted by the other involved entities. Public comment will also be accepted. The planning will either approve the proposal and forward it to the county commissioners, or recommend changes or additional steps. Ultimate responsibility for approving or denying the proposal rests with the commissioners.

Weber's role compares with that of the cattle baron, the old-timer, or the "It's my property. . . ." He expresses surprise at the opposition. "I didn't know we were going to create all of this upset," Weber said. "We planned to use the property the way it's always been used. I just want to be a good neighbor."

Weber said he leased the property to a concrete manufacturer in 1997. The lessee went broke, leaving Weber holding the bag. Since then, the Weber family has planned to recoup by operating a batch plant at the same place.

Weber proposes building the cement batch plant on the east side of U.S. 160 near the San Juan River bridge about 4 miles northeast of Pagosa Springs. The plant site is near, but not directly on, the banks of the river and is visible from the highway.

"That's my property," Weber said. "It has been used for agricultural and industrial purposes for 47 years that I know of. There have been gravel pits and an asphalt plant there for most of that time. The highway department used it for storing materials and equipment. I'm not changing the use of the property. We've been planning the batch plant for some time. We're totally surprised at the opposition to our plans. We've always been good neighbors. I just want to make a living using my property the way it's always been used."

Notification of Weber's plans has been sent to persons living in the surrounding area. The notification is part of the conditional-use permit process. Even though the regulation requires notificatation of people living within 500 feet of the site, the notices were sent to persons living at greater distances.

In general, the notification advises that Weber intends to install a portable batch plant, two buildings, a scrubber/washer plant, aggregate and sand stockpiles, and various equipment. The plant's operating hours could be from 7 a.m. until 7 p.m.

Opposing Weber's batch plant are a group of NIMBYs (Not In My Back Yard) folks.

Representatives of about 20 of the NIMBYs at the regular county commissioner meeting Tuesday gave the usual litany of reasons opposing the proposed batch plant: it creates an eyesore visible from the highway to folks approaching Pagosa Springs; it will pollute the San Juan River; it will create noise pollution; it will create traffic dangers; heavy industrial usage is inappropriate for the location; a batch plant should not be located next to a subdivision.

An out-of-the ordinary complaint was voiced by the owners of Elk Meadows Campground, located across the highway and downstream from the proposed plant.

"Elk Meadows has been our home and business for 22 years. If that plant is approved, it will put us out of business," said Janice Palmer, daughter of Elk Meadows owners Don and Barbara Palmer. "Who wants to visit Pagosa Springs for an outdoor experience and camp across from a concrete plant?"

The protesters also claim the proposed batch plant is not a usage consistent with the best interests of the county. They say a major portion of the county economy depends on tourism, hunters, and retirees seeking a difficult-to-define quiet, peaceful wilderness experience including wildlife and sweeping vistas of the rivers and mountains.

Weber answers the accusations by asserting:

- A serious portion of U.S. 160 frontage in San Juan River Village near the homes of protesters is being advertised for sale as commercial property. "I guess I could buy six acres there and build my batch plant on it."

- The San Juan River Village sewer lagoons with their "slimy green water" are highly visible from U.S. 160 and encountered by entering motorists before reaching the site of the proposed batch plant.

- The batch plant is not visible from the homes of many of the upstream protesters.

- If concrete is such a destructive pollutant, why is the new Pagosa Springs High School built of concrete? Why are all house foundations built of concrete? Why are the trusses and pillars supporting bridges and standing in the river built of concrete?

- Concerning negative impacts the proposed batch plant may have on the Elk Meadows Campground, Weber points out that a batch plant formerly stood for years along U.S. 160 at the crest of Put Hill and adjacent to an RV park which appeared to succeed very well.

- Installation of the batch plant is a continuation of traditional use, not a change.

- The batch plant will add to the local economy by hiring local people and will be "locally owned" something most concrete suppliers in the area cannot claim.

"They say I've done something illegal, but I haven't," Weber said. "The metal building didn't require a building permit because it was erected for agricultural purposes. I've always run cattle on property I own surrounding that site.

"The batch plant is portable and I've never operated it," Weber continued. "I've gone to the county planning office and applied for a permit, just the way I'm supposed to. I am complying with the law."

Planning department officials agree that Weber is complying with the regulations. Because he has not returned the completed forms needed to initiate the conditional use process, county officials refuse to comment because nothing official has happened.

Interpretation of the conditional-uses permit enabling document will guide the commissioners when they make a final decision on the Weber application. The decision may have long-range implications relative to land usage in the San Juan River Corridor of Archuleta County.

In its purpose and intent paragraph, the conditional uses document states:

"Conditional uses are land uses that have potential for causing adverse impacts on other uses because of such factors as location, method of operation, scale or intensity of activity, or traffic generated. Because of their unusual or special characteristics, conditional uses require review and evaluation so that they may be located properly with respect to their effects on surrounding properties and Archuleta County at large. Conditional uses may be permitted subject to such conditions and limitations as Archuleta County may prescribe. The intent is to ensure that the location and operation of the conditional use is in accordance with the development objectives of the county (per the Archuleta County Master Plan) and will not be detrimental to other uses or properties. Where conditions cannot be devised to achieve these objectives, or it is not possible to mitigate adverse impacts, applications for conditional uses shall not be approved."

The document goes on to say:

"For clarification purposes only, conditional uses shall include, but not be limited to: commercial uses; industrial uses; multi-family dwellings (with some exceptions); airports; mining or extraction activities; transportation services and facilities; major new water systems; major new sewage systems; major extensions of existing water systems; major extensions of existing sewage systems; water storage facilities; water impoundments; telecommunications facilities; natural gas transmission pipelines; electric power generation facilities; electric power transmission lines; utility substations; and sanitary landfills."

In the case of Weber's batch plant, battle lines have been drawn, the legal process initiated, and an outcome is forthcoming. When the showdown comes, the county commissioners will be wearing the badge.

Summer Guide published today

Looking for a place to go in Pagosa Country, somewhere to try out those new hiking shoes or the best fly rod money can buy?

If any of those things interest you, look for answers in our annual Pagosa Country Summer Guide published with today's edition of the SUN.

It features 68 pages of directions to area attractions, outlines of famous and not so famous events of interest, descriptions of scenic views you can enjoy at your leisure, guides to restaurants, lodging, campgrounds and the recreational areas in Pagosa Country.

Cover photos feature the beauty of the upper San Juan basin from the overlook on Wolf Creek Pass looking toward Indian Head mountain on the left; a fisherman trying the waters of the San Juan just outside the front door to the Chamber of Commerce Visitor Center; and a view of one of the many entries in the annual Red Ryder 4th of July parade. All were shot by Jan Brookshier.

The summer guide is designed to provide readers with a handy at-your-fingertips calendar of special events, directory of places to go, and things to see and do.

If you want additional copies to send to friends or family or extra copies to distribute to customers, they are available free at the SUN office.

Support for Patty deeply appreciated

We are truly grateful for the outporing of support, prayers and love we have received over the past three months involving Patty's struggle with cancer.

This is a very difficult time for all of us, but we appreciate the way so many friends have expressed their love and caring for Patty. We thank each and every one of you.

Ross Aragon and family

County signs Piedra Road pact

By John M. Motter

The Archuleta County Commissioners signed a contract with the U.S. Forest Service at their regular Tuesday meeting specifying conditions for the application of magnesium chloride on that portion of Piedra Road located within Archuleta County.

Piedra Road is owned by the Forest Service. Maintenance in Archuleta County is performed by the county under conditions specified in a contract with the Forest Service. A similar contract exists between the Forest Service and Hinsdale County for that portion of Piedra Road between the county line and Williams Creek Reservoir.

Archuleta County will receive $6,000 as compensation for applying magnesium chloride to Piedra Road between the cattle guard located at the north end of Fairfield Pagosa and the county line located near Piedra Road's junction with McManus Road. The amount of money received from the Forest Service is $2,000 less than the amount received last year.

Hinsdale County will spend $5,070 to apply magnesium chloride to the portion of Piedra Road located in that county, according to Paul Christianson, San Juan National Forest road manager.

In other business Tuesday the commissioners:

- Spent a great deal of time listening to public comment concerning a proposed concrete batch plant located along U.S. 160 northeast of town. See related article in this issue of the SUN.

- Heard from J.R. Ford, during public comments, that, since the county took over maintaining the county landfill on Trujillo Road, the road is looking trashier than ever. Ford suggested the problem is caused by trash blowing from uncovered trucks. Ford said a solution would be to video-tape all vehicles entering the dump, and mailing fines to those hauling uncovered trash.

It was also suggested that enforcement of laws related to hauling trash should be done by the highway patrol and county sheriff. County officials promised to look into the problem.

- Agreed to support a $40,000 Department of Local Affairs grant through the Forest Lewis College Office of Community Services. In the past, these monies have been used to pay facilitators at Archuleta County public planning meetings, and for similar circumstances.

- Approved a variance request for Crowley Ranch Reserve IV allowing construction of a cul de sac

- Denied a variance request for the Don Ford subdivision permitting the use of a 40-foot road width in place of a 60-foot road

- Approved the final plats and improvements agreements for Colorado Timber Ridge Phases 2 and 3.

In the page 1 article last week, "27 roads due for improvements," county road manager Kevin Walters was mistakenly identified as Kevin Rogers.

Tackett recalls incendiary attacks on Tokyo

By Helen Richardson

Almost 50 years ago, Cecil Tackett ran out of money half way through his college carreer. So he joined the Army Air Corps thinking he would only have to serve one year of active duty and could save enough money to finish college. From a monetary point of view, his plan worked out, but his timing was bad. Tackett finished flight school in September of 1941, just three months before Pearl Harbor. Instead of one year, he spent five years flying for the Army Air Corps.

Tackett already had a private pilot's license and believes it was a big plus toward him surviving flight school where 50 percent of the class didn't make the grade. After finishing flight school, Tackett found himself assigned to a pursuit team flying single-engine planes. Not liking single-engine planes, he paid a classmate $100 to swap places with him in hopes of being assigned to multi-engine planes. He had to borrow the money from the bank, but it proved to be a good investment.

From his station in Boise, Idaho, Tackett was soon transferred to the Seattle area following the invasion of Pearl Harbor. He joined a group of fliers keeping an eye out for the Japanese fleet which was expected to attack the large Boeing facility in Seattle. That site needed to be protected because, at the time, the U.S. Army Air Corps had far more pilots than airplanes.

The attack never came, so Tackett transferred to Florida, on to Cuba, then Trinidad, and, finally, Dutch Guiana (now Surinam) to patrol for German submarines. The German U-boats had been sinking an ore ship a day, disrupting the vitally important supply of bauxite being shipped from South America to U.S. assembly plants. Because the Germans had excellent intelligence, Tackett never saw a German sub. However, the the sinking of the ore boats stopped while he and his fellow pilots were on patrol.

All this time, Tackett was flying twin-engine B25s with 75 mm guns. It was time for an upgrade. After receiving training in four-engine planes, he was reassigned to the "Pride of the Yankees," a B29 bomber that was flying out of Saipan. One of the Marianas Islands in the North Pacific, Saipan is nearly 1,400 miles south of Japan. Tackett's crew only had two days to pick a name for the plane and he admits he never cared much for it. The name was even less popular with the crew members from Georgia.

Tackett and his 11-man crew of the Pride of the Yankees, flew 35 missions to Japan. Besides personally earning the Distinguished Flying Cross, he and his crew received air medals.

"The Pride of the Yankees was the only bomber to make return trips from Tokyo twice with only two working engines," says Tackett. He piloted it after losing one engine on each side. The bomber's other crew made it back with two dead engines on one side, the most difficult challenge.

His most spectacular run, says Tackett, was the night they set fire to Tokyo. Each bomber carried 180 incendiary bombs, 90 pounds each. That meant each plane could lay out a strip of fire a half mile long. The incendiary attack on Tokyo was aided by 40-mile-an-hour winds which spread the fire from the 500 similarly equipped B29s which bombed Tokyo that night.

The heat from the fire was so intense it created unpredictable thermal columns. "One time, we dropped so suddenly the cardboard box we kept our lunches in on the floor of the cabin was held tight against the ceiling. The odor of burning was intense," says Tackett.

Tackett remembers a similar attack on Osaka because his crew was assigned to drop flares to mark the targets. "The plane doing that job catches all the anti-aircraft fire," he said, "because you go in as a single plane. We got caught in the search lights and the anti-aircraft fire was fierce. It sounded like hail on a tin roof. It must have been small-arms because, when we checked the plane, we had lots of dents but no holes."

He feels quite lucky to have survived all of his combat missions without a scratch.

Twice on return flights to Saipan, Tackett and his crew landed on Iwo Jima to refuel. He's thankful to the Marines who liberated that island in the North Pacific because it was a valuable refueling site for the B29s bombing Japan. "It saved many airplanes and crews from being lost," he claims. There was no aerial refueling at that time, and the 2,000-2,800-mile run required 14.5 hours.

Returning from one mission with only two good engines, Tackett really would have appreciated stopping in Iwo Jima. But the refueling site was completely fogged in, including the surrounding ocean. Given the option of flying over the fog or of bailing out, he kept flying. He knew that two weeks earlier, a crew that tried bailing out didn't fare well - half of them landed in the ocean and drowned. Tackett made it safely back to Saipan, saving the Pride of the Yankees.

Tackett's first mission over Japan was Thanksgiving Day, 1944. "The sky was full of zeros (Japanese fighter planes)," he says. By the end of the war, he reports, you could be up all day and not see one. The U.S., on the other hand, had numerous airplanes by 1944.

Tackett lost many friends during his five years as an Air Corps pilot. He says the hardest part was getting started. Rounding up the crew and getting ready for take-off was a struggle because they all knew "this time" it might be them who didn't come back. Tackett considers himself lucky, but he also ran a tight ship. As air commander for the crew, he expected everyone to do their job because each job affected everyone.

Tackett left the Pride of the Yankees in good working order when his tour of duty ended, and he's sad that the surviving B29s were cut up for salvage so quickly after the war. He said only three of these World War II bombers remain, and only one is in flying condition. When he visited the Pima Air Museum in Tucson a few years ago, he was invited to sit in the cockpit again. "It seems awfully primitive now," he said.

As for Memorial Day, Tackett is a combat veteran who is very familiar with its significance.

Memorial Day has Civil War roots

By Bernice I. Brungard

With May 29 being recognized as Memorial Day, readers might like to know that the women of Columbus, Miss., laid flowers on the graves of Union and Confederate dead as early as 1863.

That the first formal observance of Memorial Day was 1868 when Gen. John A. Logan, Commander in Chief of the Grand Army of the Republic, issued a general order to all the GAR posts that "The thirtieth day of May 1868, is designated for the purpose of strewing with flowers or otherwise decorating the graves of comrades who died in defense of their country during the late rebellion and whose bodies now lie in almost every city, village, and hamlet churchyard in the land . . . post and comrades will in their own way arrange such fitting services and testimonials of respect as circumstances may permit."

That the first official services of the day were special services at the National Cemetery at Arlington. The orator for the occasion was James A. Garfield, a member of the House of Representatives and later president of the United States. His closing words were: "Here let them rest, asleep on the nation's heart, entombed in the nation's love."

That by 1873 the 30th of May was designated "Decoration Day," a public holiday, by the Legislature of New York state. Other states quickly followed, thus, each year the citizens of our nation honored the Civil War veterans by placing flowers on their graves.

That in the Pagosa Springs area the American Legion Mullins-Nickerson Post 108 purchases the U.S. flags that are placed on all known graves of veterans in the area. Post 108 members, it's Ladies Auxiliary, Boy Scouts, Girl Scouts, and other volunteers place the flags for the day on the graves at Hilltop Cemetery and other remote graveyards.

That American Legion Post 108 of Pagosa Springs on the current designated Memorial Day, May 29, holds a memorial service in memory of local deceased veterans at the Post home located immediately east of Town Park, followed by services at Hilltop Cemetery. Both services are very impressive and well worth attending.

Commissioner hopefuls must file by Tuesday

By John M. Motter

Tuesday is the deadline for would-be county commissioner candidates to turn petitions with signatures into the Archuleta County election official, county clerk June Madrid.

Seven Republican candidates for two county commissioner openings picked up petition forms from the clerk's office earlier this year. County commissioner positions in District 1, where Bill Downey is the incumbent, and District 2, where Ken Fox is the incumbent, will be on the August primary and November general election ballot.

As of Wednesday of this week, five of those petitions have been turned in and the signatures approved. The required number of signatures for each position is 52. Those having returned petitions are Julia Donoho, District 1; Mike Branch, District 1; Ralph Goulds, District 2; John Feazel, District 2; and Jim Willingham, District 2.

Pat Horning, District 1, and Fox have picked up petitions, but as of yesterday morning had not returned them.

Three Republican candidates have qualified for the August primary ballot through the party's county assembly. They are Nan Rowe and Downey from District 1, and Alden Ecker from District 2.

J.B. Smith will be unopposed on the Democratic Party's primary ballot. Smith was chosen to be the Democrat's candidate for District 2 at the party's county-wide assembly.

Rain will go away for weekend

By John M. Motter

Following thunderstorms accompanied with a 30 percent chance of rain Thursday and early Friday, Pagosa Country skies should remain warm and dry for the remainder of Memorial Day weekend, according to Joe Ramey, a National Weather Service forecaster from Grand Junction.

"A jet stream moving through a closed low-pressure system off of the coast of southern California and Baja should bring moisture into the Four Corners area," Ramey said. "The storm should arrive Wednesday night and last through early Friday morning."

This storm has a better chance of producing rain than the storm predicted for last week, according to Ramey. Last week's prediction was based on a low-pressure area moving in an almost direct, west-to-east direction. Such storms often carry little moisture, Ramey said.

Because the storm this week is moving in from the southwest it should bring up-slope winds and a better chance of rain, according to Ramey.

Tuesday the thermometer climbed to 85 degrees, almost an all-time high reading. The highest temperature ever measured in town during May was 87 degrees May 27, 1951, and May 31, 1956. The highest temperature recorded during the past week was the 85-degree reading Tuesday. The average high reading for the period was 69 degrees.

Three times this past week the thermometer dipped below freezing. The lowest reading was 25 degrees May 18. The average low reading for the week was 35 degrees. Historically, the lowest temperature ever recorded during May was 8 degrees measured May 1, 1967.

Rounding out the weather paradoxes in Pagosa Country, 0.1 inch of snow was recorded in town May 17. Total May precipitation through yesterday is 0.15 inches, far below the long-time average May precipitation of 1.21 inches.

State opens Workforce Center in Pagosa

By Rosemary Marshall

To better respond to the needs of employers and job seekers in southwest Colorado, the Department of Labor and Employment has established the Southwest Colorado Workforce Center in Pagosa Springs

The new service is under the direction of employment specialist Martha Garcia, who was transfered from the Southwest Colorado Workforce Center in Durango to the new Workforce Center in Pagosa Springs. The center is located in the Archuleta County courthouse. Its hours are 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. Monday through Friday. Its phone number is 264-4133.

According to State Labor Director Vickie Armstrong, the Pagosa office provides far more than job placement. "The Workforce Center brings together a comprehensive menu of job training education and employment services. Our focus is on meeting businesses' needs for a skilled workforce and in providing the training education and employment needs of job seekers who will comprise that workforce," Armstrong said.

According to Garcia, previously local job seekers simply received job search and placement assistance. "Today, we offer a lot more. Job placement is still available to all customers with no eligibility requirements, but we're providing more intensive services for people who are having difficulty finding a job," Garcia said. Job seekers now will be able to easily receive career counseling including access to up-to-date labor market information which identifies job vacancies, the skills necessary for the in-demand jobs, as well information about local, regional and even national employment trends. A resource room offers Internet access and a variety of self-directed assistance in skills building, according to Garcia.

Job seekers may receive a preliminary assessment of their skill levels, aptitudes and abilities. They can also obtain information on a full array of employment-related services, including local education and training options, and receive help evaluating their eligibility for job training and academic programs, including GED and English as a second language.

For all job seekers, individual responsibility and personal decision-making is promoted as never before. The local Workforce Center brings together the services of the Department of Labor and Employment, The Training Advantage (a local private-sector nonprofit) and regional JTPA services.

Along with Garcia, the Pagosa Springs Workforce Center includes Lois Lee, employment training representative; Diane Hart, mentoring program coordinator, and LaNelle Lyda, Employment First assistant. Together they work with job seekers to select the training they determine is best for them. It's a market-driven approach that enables job seekers to get the skills and credentials they need to succeed, Garcia said.

The Southwest Colorado Workforce Center in Pagosa Springs is part of a workforce preparation and employment system designed to meet both the needs of the nation's businesses and the needs of local job seekers and those who want to further their careers. It is also a part of the community in which it operates. Local businesses play an active role in ensuring that the center is meeting their needs. Employers now have a single point of contact to provide information about current and future skills needed by their workers and to list job openings. The center provides them with customized recruiting, screening of skilled applicants, on-the-job training incentives, assistance with tax credits and information on employment law.

"For employers, we offer the tools needed to find the right employee. For job seekers, we provide the tools to build a better future," Garcia said. "We look forward to working with the people of our community."

For more information about the Colorado Southwest Workforce Center in Pagosa Springs, phone Garcia, Lee, Hart or Lyda at 264-4133.

Kate Terry has heart surgery; blood needed

By Karl Isberg

Local writer Kate Terry, whose column "Local Chatter" appears in the Preview section of the SUN, underwent heart surgery May 18. She is currently at Heart Hospital of Albuquerque, making a recovery.

With one heart valve replaced and another valve repaired, Kate had an experience common to many people who undergo a surgical procedure. It is an experience shared by many accident victims, by women giving birth, by cancer patients. According to Kate's friend Kay Grams, who has been with Kate throughout her hospital stay, at least four units of blood have been used so far during the process.

That is four less units in the supply of blood available for Kate, or for use in any other medical emergencies.

Several local EMTs and members of the Pagosa Fire Protection District were ready to make a trip to the Community United Blood Services facility at Durango today in order to see that the blood used by Kate is replaced.

Friends and fans of Kate - any and all adult residents of Archuleta County - have the opportunity on May 31 to do their parts to ensure the supply of blood is enough to deal with all types of medical needs.

United Blood Services will conduct a blood drive from 2 to 7 p.m. May 31 at Community United methodist Church on Lewis Street in downtown Pagosa Springs.

"We will have cards at the Pagosa drive that people can fill out to tell a friend or a loved one a donation has been made in their name," said Randy Hubbs, United Blood Services director. "If someone wants to make a donation in Kate Terry's name or anyone else's name, they can fill out a card and we will send it to that person. Kate Terry is a good example of the many people who need blood because of surgery, injury or some other medical emergency. When they need the blood, it is there - usually donated by a stranger, by someone who cared."

Hubbs said blood supplies in the region dipped perilously low in recent months, and a strong turnout at the blood drive is always appreciated.

"We were at a point several weeks ago," said Hubbs, "where our local blood supply was down to a day's worth, or a day and a half at most. We weren't sure we had enough blood to last for 18 hours. Then, the Los Alamos fire occurred, an emergency call went out and we had 100 donors come in. It's a good thing: shortly after that we had a young man seriously injured in a auto accident in Durango and the blood was there for him. People are great about donating during an emergency or with individual patients, but it's the everyday question that is important. Is the blood there on the shelf every day, when a patient needs it? We urge people in Pagosa to come in on Wednesday and donate blood - for Kate Terry, for a friend or relative, for the community."

Anyone wishing to donate blood on May 31 must provide identification at the time of the donation.

Public meetings set on roadless forest plan

By John M. Motter

Public meetings will be conducted by the San Juan National Forest Service May 31 and June 27 concerning the Roadless Area Conservation Draft Environmental Impact Statement and Proposed Rule.

An informal open house meeting designed to share information will be conducted between 4 and 8 p.m. May 31 at the San Juan Public Lands Center, 15 Burnet Court, in Durango. Forest Service officials will be on hand to answer questions and explain maps delineating the areas affected in the San Juan National Forest.

A second meeting between 3 and 8 p.m. June 27 will be conducted at the San Juan Public Lands Center.

"A couple of things will come out of this," said Rick Jewell, a public information spokesman for the Pagosa Ranger District. "First, in the future no roads will be built in existing roadless areas. Second, it's important for people to know where to obtain information and where to submit comments."

According to Jewell, the timing is premature to give specifics concerning local impacts of the proposal.

"This is a preliminary EIS," Jewell said. "We have to wait for public input, analysis of that input, and the final solution selection. That could take some time and involve some changes over what we are looking at now."

Locally, about one-fourth, 475,000 acres of the San Juan National Forest is inventoried as roadless. Another one-fourth of the San Juan has been designated by Congress as wilderness. The remaining one-half of the forest is accessible through a 2,900-mile classified road system.

The preferred alternative of the draft EIS proposes to:

- Prohibit road construction in 43 million acres of inventoried roadless areas within the 192-million acre national forest system

- Provide opportunities for additional protection for the inventoried areas and other smaller unroaded areas through local forest planning

- Defer until 2004 any decision on providing additional protection for 8.5 million acres on the Tongas National Forest in Alaska.

Maps of the location of inventoried roadless areas by state are available on the U.S. Forest Service's roadless web site, http://www.roadless.fs.fed.us. A table provided with the maps includes acreage totals for roadless areas and other national forest system land.

Written public comments will be accepted at both meetings and throughout the public involvement period which ends July 17. Comments can be faxed to (877) 703-2494 or mailed to: USDA Forest Service-CAET - Attention: Roadless Area Proposed Rule, Box 221090, Salt Lake City, UT 84122. People can also comment directly at the roadless web site, roadless.fs.fed.us. Also available at this address are the proposed rule, draft environmental impact statement, a summary, maps and appendices. This information will be available for review at the public meetings, all Forest Service offices, and major public libraries. Individuals can also call (800) 384-7623 for information.

County building permits near record setting pace

By John M. Motter

The number of building permits issued by the Archuleta County Building Department has experienced a huge jump through April 30 of this year when compared with the same date for 1999. If the trend continues through the remainder of the year, a record number of permits will have been issued.

Leading the increase are permits issued for houses. The number of house permits issued through April 30 of this year is 107, almost a 53 percent increase over the 70 house permits issued by April 30 last year.

"The area is catching on," said Jerry Mount, a county building official. "People want to move here. The value of a lot of the homes being built starts at $160,000 and goes up. Most of them are being built for private owners, there don't seem to be a lot of spec homes (homes contractors build as a speculative venture). A lot of them have additional buildings such as garages, which adds to the cost."

Considering permits of all kinds, this year's issue is up about 85 percent. This year's total is 170 permits, compared to 144 permits at this time last year.

In other categories, 18 permits have been issued for mobile homes this year compared to 23 permits for mobile homes last year, one commercial permit has been issued this year compared to five commercial permits last year, seven timeshare permits have been issued this year compared to no timeshare permits last year, and 37 permits in the "other" category have been issued this year compared to 46 other permits last year.

This year's increase is more startling when compared with 1996 when 92 permits, including 43 house permits, had been issued by the end of April.

'Citizen outcry unfair'

Dear Dave,

I am concerned about the fate of Mr. Paul Hansen's RV park. Never once did he have an opportunity to present his project to the planning commission. He was pressured by some citizens to give up before he even started. He was zoned out in a vigilante Wild West style. In my conversations with people around the county there are plenty of citizens who thought it was a good project and that he should have the right to do whatever he wants with that piece of land.

My concern is not whether or not he should be allowed to do that project in that location, but that the citizen outcry was unfair and is not a good planning strategy for directing growth. Truthfully, we sell a lot of property, telling the prospective buyers that we have no zoning and that they will be free to do whatever they want with the land. Many residents believe strongly in maintaining unrestricted property rights.

That is why the community planning process is so important. This is a good vehicle for directing growth and I thank all those who have participated and attended. It is much more fair to everyone if we all know what can be developed on neighboring properties and what can't. As we work toward developing a final master plan and adopting regulations, let us remember that the alternative is unpredictable and unfair "vigilante" spot zoning.

Sincerely,

Julia Donoho

Always helping

Dear Editor,

I'd like to explain a little of the history between San Juan River Village and the Weber family. The first year that we irrigated our property, we had raw sewage and tissue running in our irrigation ditches. Although it made extremely unpleasant working conditions, we didn't come running to complain, but we did advise the proper person that there was indeed a problem.

When SJRV installed its sewer ponds within 10 feet of our property line, we never complained because we understood that they needed the facility to continue to operate. Many houses in SJRV overlook these ponds as well as ourselves, other neighbors and the highway traffic coming into town. If sewer ponds are not offensive to view, why is our concrete plant and shop?

In 1997 the area experienced a drought and SJRV did not have enough water for the existing homes to get through the summer. The metro district came to the Weber family and asked for our help. Without a second thought, we sent a man up there to work in the river so more water would run through our irrigation ditch to fill the SJRV ponds. Without this help, the homeowners would have had a shortage of water that year. There was no hesitation on our part to pitch in and help.

In 1999, the metro district representatives again came to the Weber family for help. They were unable to get their water out of the river to fill their ponds because the ditch was in such bad repair and it ran through the property of a man who appeared to be unwilling to cooperate and allow the needed repair of the SJRV ditch. Again we helped them by allowing the SJRV water to run through the Weber irrigation ditch to the point of diversion for the SJRV ditch. Without using the Weber ditch, SJRV would have had to repair their ditch, which was unfeasible, or do without water.

This month, you again needed our help. At the start of irrigation time, you needed to drain your ponds to repair them so SJRV can have a plentiful supply of water for this year. We were asked to shut off our irrigation water so the repair work could be done. There was no argument, we immediately agreed to help our neighbors.

Now that we want to do something on a small part of our property to help sustain our living and ensure our son's future, we have very strong objections from many who live there. We also have tried to be good neighbors with Elk Meadows and have never complained when their guests stray over onto our property. This has been our home for the last 25 years, we have raised our children here and buried one here. We have no wish to destroy our home, pollute the river, or cause problems for our neighbors. We do want the right to make a living and try to sustain the beautiful ranch land that surrounds our neighbors. Is that asking too much?

Very respectfully,

Kathy Weber

Drastic change

Dear David,

We are owners of Elk Meadows Campground and have owned it 22 years. It is not only our business and investment but our residence. We own two properties, one north and one south of U.S. 160. It is sad to say that with the construction of a new concrete batch plant, a heavy industry, the character of our neighborhood will change drastically and therefore our property use will change.

If the permit were granted for the plant southeast of us, it would be to our benefit to get a like permit for our two properties for a future owner. Is this what county residents want east of town? Heavy Industry?

If the cement batch plant is approved and becomes operational 12 hours a day, seven days a week as the conditional use permit states; the nature of our present "for sale" condition will change according to the changing land use in this neighborhood. The problem here is the neighbors to our west will follow suit as industry begins to spread. No one here will consider this area for tourist-oriented businesses or for residential use. This would be a shame for the beauty of the San Juan River valley, and for people already living in this valley such as the people at the San Juan River Village.

While we were not originally in favor of zoning for Archuleta County, we have changed our mind and believe zoning is necessary to preserve the San Juan River valley corridor.

We are currently building a new home in the Pagosa Lakes area because we realized the risk building a residence east of town with no protection considering land use.

If the batch plant is approved by the county commissioners, we will look for new sources of buyers including people interested in a heavy industrial site.

We understand that the concrete plant on Put Hill was moved to another location because it was not appropriate for the area and we think the same applies to our area.

We encourage any Archuleta County residents who are interested in preserving the U.S. 160 corridor east, to call or write the county commissioners and the county planners to express your "vision" for the county.

Sincerely,

Barbara and Don Palmer

Pages of ideas

Dear Editor,

The second round of community planning workshops is drawing to a close. Over 600 citizens attended the first set of meetings in February, filling the walls with pages of ideas. An additional 230 high school students made good use of the opportunity to describe the future they would like for the area. Four Corners Planning and Design Group, the consultants hired to develop a proposed plan for Archuleta County and Pagosa Springs, have done an outstanding job of taking all of the comments received from the first set of meetings and organizing all those ideas into options for public consideration. During this second set of meetings participants are able to see how the consultants took all of that information and created four future growth scenarios. These represent a point to begin a conversation about the consequences of various aspects of each, possibly even inspiring new ideas and approaches. From the response to this second set of meetings, the consultants will develop a proposed growth management plan to be presented in late August.

The scenarios discussion is focused on the "big picture," but the workshops are not limited to abstract concepts of growth patterns. The consultants have also prepared 130 possible policy options to help us reach the goals we expressed during the first round of workshops. Many of these are ideas that were expressed directly by residents; others are tools that have been used effectively elsewhere. These options are very specific and depict a range of approaches to accomplishing desired future conditions in the natural environment, development design, transportation, housing, economic opportunity and roads. Some of the options focus on education and others would require regulation. During the workshops there has been an opportunity to discuss these options with neighbors and express personal opinions about which are the most appropriate. The chance to listen has been as valuable as the forum to speak. Both have been encouraged during these workshops. All of the responses to policy options will help guide elements of the proposed plan.

The final workshop is tonight, May 25, from 7 to 9:30 in the Parish Hall on Lewis Street. This meeting is located for the convenience of residents of the town of Pagosa Springs, but as with all meetings, everyone is welcome.

If you were unable to attend any of the meetings, you still have an opportunity to express your opinions. Mike Mollica, director of county development, will happily provide you with all the policy options and growth scenarios if you give him a call at 264-5851, or stop by the county administration building. Everyone is welcome to take these handouts and identify their preferences, then return them to Mike by June 1. The Archuleta County Commissioners, the county planning staff, and the planning steering committee want any final proposal to be the best reflection of the desires of the residents. You can make that happen.

Thanks for all the support.

Jo Bridges

Thanks teachers!

Dear Editor,

I would like to take a minute to write and give thanks to all those wonderful teachers out there. I've written a poem of thanks for them.

A thank you note/ From me to you/ You've helped me/ In all you do/ How can you do it?/ Live in this zoo/ And struggle so much/ To teach us this tool/ You've taken these rocks/ And made them jewels/ Lifelong weapons Now we're ready to duel/ Thank you for the start/ From the bottom of my heart.

As I am a senior and I'm getting ready to graduate, I would just like to ask that for once I could let my teachers know how much they have impacted my life. Every teacher I've had has added something new and important. They've taught me values and things even more important than they could ever know; prepared me for battles untold and problems unsolved. All this and more the teachers have given me. I've seen their faces, seen how they sacrifice time to be spent with their families for those of us who need just a little more time to meet a deadline, or stay later to help us reach a higher point of understanding. The least I can do is say thank you very much. You've made me rich with knowledge. Pagosa Springs High School staff is awesome, and I only hope the public realizes that. Keep up the great job.

Sincerely,

Eve Klitzke

America's heroes

Dear Editor,

All of our country's veterans should be personally embarrassed because of a statement that Bill Clinton recently made, "The older generation must learn to sacrifice as other generations have done."

That's my dad's generation. I knew that eventually someone would ferret out the dirty secret: They lived the "lifestyles of the rich and famous" all their lives. Now, I know they must bare the truth about their generation and let the country condemn them for their selfishness.

During the Depression they all danced to the tune of "Brother Can You Spare a Dime?" They could choose to dine at any of the country's soup kitchens, often joined by their parents and siblings. Yes indeed, those were the heady days of carefree self-indulgence.

Then, with World War II, the cup absolutely filled to overflowing. They had the chance to bask on the exotic beaches of Guadalcanal, Iwo Jima and Okinawa; to see the capitols of Europe and travel to such spots as Bastogne, Malmedy and Monte Cassino. Of course, one of the most memorable adventures was the stroll from Bataan to the death camps.

The good times really rolled for those lucky enough to be on the beaches of Normandy that June day in '44. Unforgettable.

Even luckier were those that drew the tickets for cruises on sleek, gray ships to spots like Midway, the Salmons and Murmansk.

Instead of asking, "What can we do for our country?" an indulgent government let them spend their youth wandering through the jungles of Burma and New Guinea.

Yes, it's all true, and they supposedly never did realize what sacrifice meant. But they do envy you, Mr. Clinton, for all those terrible harsh lessons you learned in London, Moscow and Little Rock.

My dad's generation is old, Mr. President, and guilty, but it is profoundly repentant. Punish them for their failings, sir, that they may learn the true meaning of duty, honor and country.

Words certainly aren't sufficient . . . aren't adequate to convey the debt we honestly owe the men and women of our country's protecting forces . . . and their families . . . for the sacrifices they've made in preserving the American way of life. Many made the ultimate sacrifice. And many families too, because there can never be any real healing for the loss of a loved one . . . no words, no memorials . . . that can even hope to make things right.

I have a deep respect for the courage, determination and just plain guts of those who put their lives on the line. I'm talking about American's best . . . the heroes of the Marines, Air Force, Army, Navy, National Guard and Coast Guard. Through their unflinching efforts, aggression has been put in check world-wide.

Proudly remember them on Memorial Day America: Everyone must do all they can to preserve and honor their memory. They gave us freedom.

Jim Sawicki

Monitor pollutants

Dear Editor,

We noted the avoidance of the words "private property" in the letter to the editor of May 18, entitled, "It Saddens Me." The word choices "organization like Piano Creek Ranch" and "property organizations" does not change the fact that we are talking about private property whether owned by an individual or groups of individuals. Let's not use "spin words" when addressing our individual rights as private property owners.

We certainly insist that all of the appropriate government resources be utilized to monitor any pollutants in our beautiful San Juan River downstream from Piano Creek Ranch. How carefully is the river being monitored for pollutants as it flows through town to the new intake of our drinking water?

Gene Takach

Act burdensome

Dear Editor,

Today, May 18, Clint Eastwood, is speaking before a House Committee and against the Americans With Disabilities Act passed by Congress in 1991. Mr. Eastwood is complaining for small business in that the act is too burdensome, and that small business should have more than 10 years to comply.

I think Mr. Eastwood should come to Pagosa, (healing waters), and see how our million dollar health spas have burdened the disabled by refusing to even raise one stinking hot tub to wheelchair height to comply with the law, federal and moral. The Americans With Disabilities Act, or ADA is a federal Civil Rights law passed by your Congress.

The problem is not the law, the problem is clearly an uneducated, greedy, uncaring, ignorant bunch of business owners that just refuse to comply and building codes that are not equally enforced. I can point to businesses all over this community that have been thriving for years but are just too cheap and uncaring to change a thing. Even the Post Office doors have never worked right and nothing has really been done. There are brand new condo buildings in Fairfield totally inaccessible to wheelchairs. Supremacists intentionally discriminate, as they are telling me that I am inferior and they don't want me or my kind living in their condos. A good law says different. I would rather concentrate on all the businesses that have complied such as at the new City Market complex.

The real problems are two fold: We disabled don't have a Clint Eastwood and the Chamber of Commerce to fight for use, only an abused, fragile law allowing us to pursue happiness like the rest of society. Is a ramp instead of stairs really asking too much or restrooms large enough for all to use? I don't think so.

And I used to like Clint Eastwood.

Ron Alexander

Reconsider idea

Dear Editor,

This is a letter in support of our friends and neighbors in San Juan River Village. Hopefully by now you all have had a chance to reconsider the idea of building a cement batch plant only 300 yards from national forest land and a mere stone's throw from the beautiful San Juan River.

Water pollution, air pollution, excessive noise and traffic-these are some factors that I'm sure have been brought to your attention already. Quality of life is why most of us have chosen this area for vacations, retirements, year round living. That quality of life, if chipped away by this project, will be diminished beyond measure.

Please listen to the people and say "no" to this plan before it goes any farther.

Thank you,

Richard and Della Dickerson,

Lakewood

Lose revenue

Dear Editor,

I am a property owner in San Juan River Village and if this batch plant goes in our property values will go down and those individuals who rent their homes out on a short-term bases will lose revenue. Tourists will not come back to stay in a unit when there is no wildlife and the noise level so loud you cannot think.

If you owned a home in an resort community would you want a batch plant running six days a week 12 hours a day in your neighborhood?

Please help us.

Randy and Laura Fehrenbacher

Thanks again

Dear David Mitchell

Here's hoping you will pass on my thanks again to the thoughtful couple that returned papers to me last month at the post office parking lot. I was reminded of their tenacity as I read Richard Walter's (Pedestrians can't be too careful) column in the PREVIEW May 11: ". . . Not only do people use the wrong entrances and exits, . . ."

I noticed a car that did that - entered the post office lot from the exit-only egress - and I was surprised that it had a local license plate. And then, while I was fiddling in my purse for the mail box key, the driver - a good looking young man with an admonishing look for me on his face, strode up to my car on the driver's side. He was holding a clear-plastic courier pouch. "My goodness," I thought, "that looks like my mail pouch." And then I saw that it was my pouch - with the papers I had carefully prepared for the mail.

The gentleman and his lady passenger noticed that this pouch had slid off the hood or roof of my car as I drove from a parking spot on 8th Street. I had put the pouch there to free both hands while loading all the other stuff in the car. I was thinking that I needed to do more research before I mailed some forms, so, with that on my mind, I forgot about the pouch and drove off. This nice couple stopped their car (a Saab?) to pick up the pouch and then followed my car as I drove to the post office (not their destination) and, to make sure I would not go further without the pouch, they drove into the post office parking lot in such a way as to block my exit and capture my attention.

Every time I think of it I am so grateful. I hope that the next time either one of this couple recognize me they will stop me again and I can thank them again.

Yours truly,

Mary A. Hannah

Enjoy paper

Dear Editor,

We enjoy your online paper so much. It has the best layout of any newspaper on line, don't dare change it.

Thanks,

Ben and Dolores Hitt

Area growth

Dear Editor,

My husband and I live in San Juan River Village, a subdivision 6 miles east of Pagosa Springs on U.S. 160. In a couple of weeks we will have been here five years. We have been coming here pretty regularly since 1984, and a few times all the way back to 1973. So we have witnessed a great deal of change and growth. Not all of it has been good for this area. The growth is somewhat of a two-edged sword.

Our economy was once based upon ag