Dear Editor:
As a multigenerational Pagosa Springs local raising my family here, I have watched our beautiful hometown change.
But I find myself asking: At what point does growth begin costing us the very heart of our community?
To our mayor and Town Council, I respectfully ask: When you speak of workforce housing, exactly which workforce are you referring to?
The single parent working two jobs? The middle-class family barely keeping up with rising expenses? The elderly resident who spent a lifetime working, only to return to work after retirement because their income is no longer enough?
These are not statistics. They are our neighbors, our families, and the people who keep Pagosa Springs alive.
We are facing proposals for large-scale development while serious questions remain about our roads, infrastructure, emergency services, and the safety of our community.
Why are we so focused on attracting more people when we have yet to adequately address the needs of those already here?
I have also heard concerns about development involving land associated with the old county poor farm. Our community deserves clarity about that history and how it relates to current proposals.
When discussions arise about portions of new developments potentially serving tourism rather than permanent residents, we deserve clear answers. How many homes will actually be affordable and available to our year-round working families?
And how can we expect the very workforce these developments supposedly serve to attend public meetings at five o’clock?
Not everyone works nine to five. Some work twelve- to fifteen-hour days. Others juggle multiple jobs, raise children alone, or care for aging family members.
Their absence should never be mistaken for a lack of concern.
We are not simply questioning growth. We are questioning large-scale growth that threatens to outpace our infrastructure, compromise our safety, and push aside the needs of our existing community.
Before building more, shouldn’t we take care of what we already have?
Our elderly, our single parents, our low- and middle-income families, our neighborhoods, and the services we depend on deserve consideration first.
To our neighbors throughout Pagosa Springs, our concerns deserve to be heard. We may not share the same history, income, or circumstances, but we share this community.
Our children deserve more than stories about the Pagosa Springs we once knew. They deserve the opportunity to experience the community we love.
Pagosa Springs is more than a tourist destination. It is our home.
And its future should protect the people who live here, keeping us safe and rooted, not pushing us out.
Sincerely,
Alyssa Jade Gallegos
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