Golden’s fight against building new TV tower
Golden’s Historic Preservation Board appears to be revising history. The board’s top four endangered historic sites for Golden somehow includes the 65-acre parcel where Channels 4, 7, 9 and 20 plan to build a consolidated TV tower. The city of Golden is threatening to take the land from the four stations, known as the Lake Cedar Group, through eminent domain. Now the city has gotten its Historic Preservation Board involved with the extra-territorial land grab.
The preservation board claims the property is part of something they call Lookout Mountain Park. There is no evidence that the 65-acre parcel was ever a part of any public park. All evidence indicates the land has been in private hands dating back to the turn of the century. In fact, this is part of several parcels of private property that have been used by Denver’s broadcasters for more than 50 years to bring television to Front Range Colorado.
Denver’s broadcasters want to do their part to make Lookout Mountain better. Lake Cedar Group’s proposal to take down four towers and replace them with one tower will in fact create more than 73 acres of new open space that won’t cost taxpayers a dime. The new tower is also shorter than the tallest tower it replaces.
Golden’s actions have helped to make Denver the only major city in the country not currently broadcasting in digital. If the consolidated tower is not built, the broadcasters will have no choice but to keep the existing towers and use them to broadcast a digital signal starting Feb. 17, 2009, as mandated by the federal government.
Marv Rockford, Spokesman, Lake Cedar Group, Denver
Fear and loathing: Illegal immigration
Re: “Mexico is global turnstile to U.S.,” March 26 news story.
The Sunday Denver Post reports there was a rally in support of immigrants, 50,000 strong, without any arrests. U.S. enforcement authorities at the border report there were 155,000 apprehensions of undocumented migrants last year but no terrorists were found. These reports show the weakness of the arguments made by Rep. Tom Tancredo and his fellow travelers, both in their exaggerated claims to speak for “what Americans think about immigration” and in their constant pounding of the fear drum. The Post should be commended for doing some homework on the border issue and not just echoing the usual baseless claims from those who are more interested in spreading fear than dealing with immigration in a rational way.
Michael Worrall, Denver
…
A combination of many issues spanning decades has produced the national immigration dilemma that now faces the nation. Truly, the entire immigration program is in dire need of overhaul, even though the spotlight of public opinion has focused strictly on the illegal immigration issue most recently. Proposed congressional action dealing with illegals has prompted the current rallies throughout the nation. I’m confident most illegals are fine people who are simply seeking a better life for their families. Their challenge is that they have broken the law. What of the millions who are attempting to gain entrance legally? Are they less needy and worthy than illegals? Undoubtedly, were Congress to pass a bill containing an amnesty/guest-worker provision, the number of legal entries would be diminished. Is that fair to those who follow the rules? Should known lawbreakers be rewarded?
Larry Harrison, Lakewood
…
If a plague of locusts had decimated the land south of our country and, having overgrown its ecosystem, flooded across our border in ever-increasing numbers, wouldn’t we attempt to stem the flood before they overwhelmed our system, too?
The population of Colorado has more than doubled in the past 25 years. Roads where traffic flowed are now parking lots. Fields of sagebrush are now golf course communities. Fields where produce grew are now dried up and barren to support this growth. I feel the estimated numbers of illegals are several factors below their actual count. Visit a construction site and count for yourselves.
Michael C. Zink, Denver
Lifeline can save Alzheimer’s sufferers
Re: “Alzheimer’s sufferer found dead after walking into storm,” March 21 news story.
Sadly, the wandering death of Denver Alzheimer’s sufferer Ann Okuno could likely have been prevented had she been wearing a Project Lifesaver wristband transmitter. First implemented in Arapahoe County in 2004, Project Lifesaver works this way: Patients with Alzheimer’s, autism and other cognitive impairments are fitted with a 1-ounce tamper-resistant wristband transmitter that continuously emits a silent radio signal. When the person wanders, the caregiver immediately calls law enforcement, and trained personnel use tracking receivers to locate the signal and recover the person. The average recovery time from first call to recovery is 23.5 minutes.
Transmitters are being worn by patients throughout the Front Range, including several in Denver, and are available free of charge or for a nominal fee, depending upon the family’s financial situation. To learn more, please call Colorado’s Project Lifesaver state coordinator, Arapahoe County Sheriff Grayson Robinson, at 720-874-4165.
Sue Rosser, Colorado Project Lifesaver Citizen Board Member, Centennial
EPA chief at fundraiser
Re: “EPA chief, oil reps mingled,” March 29 news story.
I am writing to express my outrage over candidate Rick O’Donnell’s apparent use of the enforcer of our nation’s environmental laws as a political prop to raise money for his campaign. The administrator of the Environmental Protection Agency should be far above partisan politics. He should not be attending political fundraisers and using the power of his office for the gain of any candidate, Republican or Democrat.
More than that, to compensate Stephen Johnson for his travel clearly violates federal government ethics law and the Hatch Act. I’m afraid this is all of a piece with these national Republicans, O’Donnell included. Whatever angle they can play, whatever part of the government they can sell, whether literally or metaphorically, to benefit themselves, is fair game.
Josh Pollock, Golden
Roadless rule guidelines
Re: “Norton’s late road order is out of line,” March 25 editorial.
Interior Secretary Gale Norton shares The Post’s concern that Revised Statute 2477 not be used to degrade sensitive federal lands. But contrary to your editorial, her guidelines will only help federal land managers protect those lands. Her memorandum repeatedly emphasizes that the department has a “right and obligation to reasonably regulate for the protection of the underlying and surrounding federal lands.” To do so, the secretary seeks to develop a collaborative, cooperative approach so land managers work with local governments and the public.
The concept that the federal government should respect valid existing rights of the public is hardly a “loophole.” Respect for valid rights of the public, we believe, is a fundamental obligation of the government. It is simply false to state, as The Post did, that Congress “failed to say what should be done about roads” already in existence when RS 2477 was repealed. Rather, as the 10th Circuit declared, Congress “specified that any ‘valid’ R.S. 2477 rights of way ‘existing on would continue in effect.”‘ The court went on to state that the department “may not use its authority, either by delay or by unreasonable disapproval, to impair the rights of the holder of the RS 2477 right of way.”
But as your final paragraph seems to recognize, Congress simply has not given the department the power to unilaterally deny the public access to valid rights of way.
P. Lynn Scarlett, Deputy Secretary of the Interior, Washington, D.C.
TO REACH OPINION EDITORS
Phone: 303-820-1331
Fax: 303-820-1502
E-mail: openforum@denverpost.com (only straight text, not attachments)
Mail: The Open Forum, The Denver Post, 1560 Broadway, Denver, 80202 or PO Box 1709, Denver, 80201
