IN today’s daily report, the organization looking to develop a transit plan for the San Luis Valley needs your feedback, state Sen. Cleave Simpson reacts to the USDA state appointment, and an explanation and plea around the photograph we took that shows a deer tangled up in holiday lights. First, an election update.
Alamosa school board race recount set for Wednesday
An official recount in the Alamosa school board race between Patrick Colvin and Amy Raya will occur Wednesday, Dec. 1, Alamosa County Clerk Nicole Jaramillo told The Citizen. Colvin had an unofficial tally of 1,533 votes and Raya 1,526. The Alamosa District 7 school board seat includes part of Conejos County and that’s where the race was decided. Raya drew 1,518 votes in Alamosa and 8 votes in Conejos County, while Colvin had 1,514 votes in Alamosa and 19 in Conejos. The race drew an automatic recount due to the closeness of the vote.
SLV Transit Plan seeks community input to inform transit service options
SAN LUIS VALLEY – In 2021, the Chaffee Shuttle was awarded funding from the Federal Transit Administration (FTA) to conduct a transit planning study for the San Luis Valley region. The plan aims to identify existing transit/mobility challenges and opportunities, seek input from community members and stakeholders about how mobility could be improved, and develop a plan that addresses the transit needs of community members, employers, and employees.
PROJECT PROGRESS TO DATE: The San Luis Valley Transit plan kicked off in June 2021. To date, an assessment on demographic and employment travel pattern data and an inventory of existing transit service in the seven-county region have been assembled in an Existing Conditions Report. Additionally, public and stakeholder outreach has been conducted across the region through in-person and virtual interviews, online digital engagement opportunities, and seven local, in-person pop-up events. Through these engagement opportunities, a wide range of feedback on local mobility challenges were collected and documented in a Public and Stakeholder Engagement Summary.
The Existing Conditions Report and Public and Stakeholder Engagement Summary are available for anyone interested in learning more about the project and can be found on the project webpage, slvtransitplan.com.
WHAT TYPES OF INVESTMENTS ARE IMPORTANT TO YOU? During the first phase of community engagement, we asked for your help to identify mobility gaps in the San Luis Valley. We heard about many transit and mobility needs across the region. Now we would like your help in prioritizing how transit should be enhanced to better meet the needs of community members in the Valley. Please complete this brief survey to tell us which transit features are most important to you. The survey link can also be found on the project webpage at slvtransitplan.com.
The survey will close on Friday, December 24th, so please be sure to have your say in the future of transit in the region! Your input will inform service options and alternatives and help provide more accessible and reliable transit service in the San Luis Valley.
STAY INVOLVED: Visit the project webpage to stay informed about the San Luis Valley Transit Plan.
Sen. Simpson reacts to Armando Valdez appointment to USDA state director
ALAMOSA — Earlier this month President Biden announced his intention to appoint Armando Valdez as USDA State Director for Colorado. Valdez serves on the board of the Rio Grande Water Conservation District, and RGWCD General Manager Cleave Simpson said Biden’s selection is a good one.
“As a Colorado State Senator, GM of the Rio Grande Water Conservation District and as a farmer in the San Luis Valley I am so pleased to hear about Mr. Armando Valdez’s’ selection to serve Coloradans as the State Director of Rural Development for the USDA. Armando’s experience and thoughtful, engaged approach to problem solving will be a benefit to all of Colorado. His life experiences will serve him and all of us so well. I know Armando will work tirelessly to improve the economy and quality of life in rural Colorado.
Valdez is also a member of the Colorado State University System Board of Governors and has been teaching in the business department at Adams State.
Christmas tree permits available for Rio Grande National Forest
MONTE VISTA – Christmas tree permits for the Rio Grande National Forest are now available to purchase both in-person and online through Recreation.gov for this holiday season.
There are three methods to purchase the required permit before you harvest your Christmas tree.
- Visit one of our participating vendors listed the RGNF Christmas Tree page. These vendors make it convenient to obtain a permit, due to their extended business hours.
- Visit one of our forest offices in Del Norte, La Jara, Monte Vista and Saguache. Some offices have limited, and varied hours and we highly recommend calling before your visit. Contact us.
- Visit recreation.gov and follow the easy steps to create an account and make your purchase. It is important to carefully read the overview and need-to-know information before purchasing the permit. Please note that you must be able to print a paper copy of the permit to have with you when cutting your tree.
“Cutting a Christmas tree on a National Forest has been a treasured tradition for many Coloradans,” said Dan Dallas, Forest Supervisor for the Rio Grande. “It gives us much pleasure to play our small role in these family traditions. The Rio Grande National Forest is a great place to cut your own tree.” With the mild early winter, this year may prove to offer access to more locations than normal.
Fourth graders may get a free Christmas tree permit when they present a valid Every Kid Outdoors pass. These passes may be obtained at https://everykidoutdoors.gov/index.htm. The free permit may only be obtained online and at Rio Grande National Forest offices. The participating fourth grader must be present.
For information on the Rio Grande National Forest, call (719) 852-5941, visit the forest website, or follow us on our Facebook page or Twitter.
Those holiday lights and the deer
About the photo we published with this Daily Report that shows seasonal holiday lights tangled in the rack of the deer. We took it Sunday afternoon after we noticed him strolling along Third Street in Alamosa, the Christmas lights tangled in his antlers. The Colorado Parks and Wildlife annually will remind us to be careful with how we string holiday lights so that the deer we live with don’t get tangled in them. We hadn’t seen such a sight before now. Please take the CPW warning to heart and help our friends avoid getting tangled in holiday lights.
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