I would like to take this opportunity to address all Coloradoans, particularly those living along the northern Front Range.
I grew up in a small northern Colorado town and now as an adult, I am raising my family and serving as Mayor in one of our state’s most beautiful and vibrant regions. Like many of you, I enjoy living, working and playing at the foot of our Rocky Mountains.
Stewardship of our natural resources is a common thread among Coloradoans. We cherish our God given amenities and work hard to ensure that they are preserved.
More and more we plan our communities and our infrastructure in such a way that honors preservation. We invest in recycling programs, conservation and renewable energy. We innovate in ways that will help us, as a national leader, demonstrate that growth and environmental stewardship are not mutually exclusive.
As Coloradoan’s, we have a proud heritage of agriculture. Some of the nation’s most fertile agricultural land is right here at home.
Generations have toiled to produce the agricultural products needed by those living here as well as those around the globe.
It is no wonder that others want to live here in Colorado. We are a well balanced and progressive bunch who value our neighbors and believe in our Country.
Clearly, growth is not an option in northern Colorado – it is inevitable. In my town, we have experienced some of the most aggressive growth in the nation over the past decade.
As do the vast majority of our regional neighbors, we understand the realities facing our region. We have also felt the brunt of the recent economic slow just as all Coloradoan’s. Regardless of current circumstances, we are looking to the future with optimism and adequate planning.
One of the most proactive projects in the history of our state is the Northern Integrated Supply Project (NISP). This innovative effort is aimed at mitigating one of the largest challenges facing our region. In the true spirit of Colorado, this project balances the demands of quality growth as well as upholds our tradition of stewardship.
The NISP project is the result of comprehensive planning combining the best data with the most innovative practices to keep one of Colorado’s most vital resources, water, right here at home.
As with all projects, NISP has its detractors. Ironically, the vast majority of these naysayers are themselves beneficiaries of similar initiatives decades ago.
The Colorado Big Thompson project, for example, has accommodated the water needs of hundreds of thousands of Coloradoan’s over past half century. I believe that our kids and future citizens of our state deserve the same foresight as we have enjoyed from our predecessors.
We have an opportunity to move Colorado forward in the true tradition of the west – by facing challenges head on with courage and originality. NISP makes sense for all of us.
Chad Auer is mayor of Firestone.
