Betty Dick is “worn down and exhausted,” and for good reason. The effort by some in Colorado’s congressional delegation to help the 83-year-old widow keep her summer cabin in Rocky Mountain National Park has gotten a little out of hand.
Dick has hoped Congress would pass legislation by Rep. Mark Udall allowing her to retain her summer property for the rest of her life. The House passed the measure unanimously, and Sen. Ken Salazar is trying to get it passed in the Senate.
Then along came Sen. Wayne Allard this week, striking a proposed deal with the National Park Service without talking to Dick or her lawyer. Allard’s plan would allow Dick to keep her summer cabin and 5 acres for two years at a cost of $1,000 a month. Allard’s move rattled Dick, who calls the deal “unfair” and her ability to pay such rent “chancy.” Udall’s measure would let her pay $300 a year for the property as long as she wants it.
The property once belonged to Dick’s late husband, Fred. He lost it to an ex-wife in a divorce but retained the right of first refusal if she ever sold it. She did – to the park service. Fred Dick sued to get it back and settled out of court. The 1980 settlement stipulated that the federal government would acquire two-thirds of the property, leaving him with 23 acres and the cabin at the price of $7,500. Betty Dick says officials told them they could keep the land and cabin for the rest of their lives. But a subsequent written agreement limited their stay to 25 years.
That contract expires today, but the park service said Betty could stay through this summer pending a decision in Congress. Dick lives in Scottsdale, Ariz., during the cold months. But to be able to spend her summers along the Colorado River among the moose is a dream she isn’t ready to give up.
And she shouldn’t have to. There is no guarantee the legislation in Congress will pass or that President Bush will sign it, although Dick believes he would. Allard opposes the legislation, saying it would set a bad precedent for some 300 others leasing plots on federal lands. Dick says her situation is “unique” in that her contract was a settlement, not a lease.
She makes a good point. While the park service doesn’t owe Betty Dick anything, what’s the harm in letting an elderly lady stay under the terms of the original settlement? Park officials have no immediate plans for the property. And by all accounts, Dick has been a good steward of the land. It shouldn’t be a difficult decision.
