Despite mixed numbers on January-November sales tax revenues for 2011 (indicating either flat growth or an impressive increase) and a hint at improved jobs numbers in the county, the Town Tourism Committee reported a record year for 2011 in lodgers tax receipts.

Local residents attending last Wednesday’s presentation by the Town Tourism Committee regarding plans for developing Reservoir Hill may have wondered about the value of statistics, especially as they related to public support for the proposed project.

If not for information presented by Trustee Shari Pierce, a vote at last Thursday’s mid-month council meeting might have gone another way.

A report released Tuesday by the Colorado Department of Labor and Employment (CDLE) provided good news for Archuleta County, showing that 2011 finished slightly better than the 2010 year average.

A brief glance at Letters to the Editor published in The SUN over the past few weeks makes it obvious that the announcement of building a 93,000-square-foot Wal-Mart in Pagosa Springs is a controversial, if not emotional, issue.

On April 3, registered voters in Pagosa Springs will be considering a ballot loaded with more than the usual candidate roster and stray ballot measures.

Archuleta County is moving closer to opening its single-stream recycling operation at the transfer station on County Road 500 (Trujillo Road) — an opening originally slated for last November.

The Colorado Department of Revenue (CDR) released a report last week showing November sales tax collections were up 9.54 percent over the same month last year, with year-to-date collections up 6.66 percent from 2010.

Calling Chimney Rock a “blessing to the entire nation,” U.S. Rep. Scott Tipton addressed those attending a public forum at the Pagosa Springs Center for the Arts Monday on “The Cultural and Economic Values of Chimney Rock as a National Monument.”

During the next week, members of the public may have an opportunity to voice opinions about matters that have raised a considerable amount of controversy during the past several weeks — the location of a Wal-Mart in town and the proposal to construct recreational amenities on Reservoir Hill.

Friction between Pagosa Springs Mayor Ross Aragon and Archuleta County Commissioner Michael Whiting — both founding members of the Geothermal Greenhouse Partnership (GGP) — has resulted in Whiting’s resignation from the board.

Months after they were approved by the Archuleta County Planning Commission, the Archuleta County Board of County Commissioners endorsed updates to the Future Land Use Map (FLUM) and associated language dealing with the area immediately surrounding Pagosa Springs.

The 800-pound gorilla in the room — last week’s announcement by Wal-Mart that it would be locating a store in Pagosa Springs — was largely ignored by the Pagosa Springs Community Development Corporation at Monday’s board meeting, and then was only addressed after SUN staff asked how the group planned to respond to various issues raised by area business owners.

Despite the efforts of the Pagosa Area Water and Sanitation District (PAWSD) to bring water loss down to at least 15 percent, December’s water loss percentage is up to 41 percent unaccounted water loss, the highest month in 2011.

Tensions between Archuleta County Commissioner Michael Whiting and Pagosa Springs Mayor Ross Aragon are not confined to issues surrounding the Pagosa Springs Community Development Corporation board (see related article), having been spread to a project near and dear to the hearts of both politicians — geothermally heated greenhouses.

The Archuleta County Commissioners are ringing in the new year with a bit of tension.

An important step was taken Tuesday night during a joint meeting of the Pagosa Area Water and Sanitation District (PAWSD) and Pagosa Springs Sanitation and General Improvement District (PSSGID) boards, when an intergovernmental agreement (IGA) was approved by both boards that will have town sewage treated at PAWSD’s Vista wastewater treatment plant.

The Archuleta County Planning Commission will meet at 6 p.m. Wednesday, Jan. 11, in the commissioners’ meeting room at the county courthouse.

If several of this week’s Letters to the Editor are any indication, the suggestion of a big box locating to Pagosa Springs (as reported in last week’s edition of The SUN) may well be the assured demise of this community.

If history and recent trends are any indication, 2012 could provide a reprieve for area workers and businesses from years of recession and hard times.

The Archuleta County Board of County Commissioners certified the county-wide mill levies and revenues for budget year 2012 on Dec. 22, reflecting the property tax revenue hit various governmental and special districts will take.

Potentially confirming what could be the worst kept secret in Archuleta County — the courting by local officials of a big box retailer for the purpose of locating a store in town — Pagosa Springs Town Manager David Mitchem told Pagosa Springs Town Council members that a timely decision regarding the reauthorization of a 50-percent abatement of fees for new development was desired due to discussions with potential developers.