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<br />THE
<br />DENVER
<br />POST
<br />
<br />.'.""dcd 1192
<br />
<br />PAGE 01
<br />
<br />Sunday, September 3, 2000
<br />,-''':'.~ .,
<br />
<br />WIlliam Dean Singleton Cllaj,.)),.,,,
<br />Gerald E. Grilly, Pnlsidellllllld Publisher
<br />Glenn GU2:2:0 Editor
<br />l!lwrsnce A. 8urro!-,gh, ManaRi"/( EdJtQ(INeu.-s
<br />Jesnelt8 Chavez, MBIJ.8ging &lilOlJOperaLions
<br />Sue O'Srien, Edi!(JJ' Qf lb~ Editorial Fage
<br />JuddA/yord. VPCiJ'CulacJoll
<br />Thomas J. Oa!elho. VP M.'lrketing
<br />t=rllrli Ojxon, trp OjA'I<JUvns
<br />Eric J. Grllly. VP 11l11;'r8ctil-e Media
<br />Jeannine KOf'lcar, l'P Display Ari!--e,.tisiI7g
<br />Missy Miller, Ht11mm Resou/'ces
<br />Cheryl L. Nealey, Chi~r Fimmc:ilJl orncer
<br />A.llen J. Walle,s, VP Adl-ertising
<br />
<br />We need rail and water
<br />
<br />III the midst of Colorado's heated
<br />debale over growlh, the cltlzens
<br />01 Lone Tree voled 824-G06 la.t
<br />week to quadruple the area oC
<br />lheir city.
<br />"110 annexation paves Ihe way lor
<br />Goventry Develo!,ment Corp. of New
<br />York to build 10,070 homes, 23 million
<br />square Ieel of o!Cice space, sho!,., res.
<br />laurants, opeo space, a town hall, re.
<br />creaUon cenlers and schools near In-
<br />lerstale 25 and Lincoln Avenue over a
<br />'40'year period, But whetber Lone Tree
<br />becomes part 01 the problem 01 urban
<br />congestion or part of the solution rests
<br />on crucial decisions yet to be made by
<br />state and regional agencies in lhe ar.
<br />ea. 01 transportation and waler.
<br />In many respecls, the Coventry pro.
<br />po.al i. a model ollhe new urbamsm,
<br />It abandons lhe Iraditional suburban
<br />model 01 residenUal gbeltos Iar re-
<br />moved Irom job and shopping centers
<br />tbat bas spawned our Irallic snarls.
<br />Instead, it blends housing, oflices and
<br />.hopping so residents caD be freed
<br />from tbe slavlsb auto-dependency that
<br />is tbe cur.e ul melro Denver.
<br />Even so, in this mobile society and
<br />Iluid joh market, it i. inevitable that
<br />many 01 lhe people who !lve In LllJIe
<br />Tree will work oulside the city and
<br />vice ve.... So milch growth is tbus
<br />bound to worsen the already dreadful
<br />congesUon on }-25 and surrounding
<br />arterlee - unlese .tate and regional
<br />authorities plan now to extend . light
<br />
<br />raUserv!ce 10 Lone Tree.
<br />
<br />To Lone Tree'. credit. the city bas
<br />strongly advocated extending the !,ro-
<br />posed 1-12 Ilght,rall ltne - currently
<br />.oheduled to sLop at Lincoln Avenue-
<br />Into the new development. Backed
<br />wltba .trong clrcul.tor bog system,
<br />euch as Greenwood Village now oper.
<br />ates In the Denver Tech Center area,
<br />such rapId tran.it would make Lone
<br />Tree part of lhe solution to urban con.
<br />gestion, .
<br />
<br />As to water, Dougla. County, Park.
<br />er'and the Denver Water Board are al.
<br />ready working on creative solutions
<br />such as the Rueler-Hess Reservoir
<br />conjunctive-use project. But lhe in.
<br />cr.asin diversion of a ricultura' wa-
<br />e D mUfilCI a use ma elf I more
<br />neces.ar an ever or 0 ors 0 to
<br />e nsorn an uSlan e un r s
<br />o ousao S 0 acre.. eat eJUl v
<br />inoc8Lea to us [Pat annuallY uow out
<br />olllta.te lor Ule benel1t or downstream
<br />
<br />IIU.I:k
<br />
<br />Water snd transportation have al-
<br />ways heen among the keys to "smart
<br />growth" in this arid and sprawling
<br />slate. But the time lor dithering is
<br />long past. We encourage the state and
<br />the Regional Transportation District
<br />to begin planning lor expanded rapid
<br />transit in metro Denver now. And Gov.
<br />Bill Owens should ur . tbe n
<br />o . 0 ora 0 e~IS a ure tn ~et
<br />~racKmll on a water olalL
<br />
<br />In ''''II columl1 .Ione II The Deny., POII'a opInion ..p'....d.
<br />
<br />;P
<br />\l'
<br />
<br />Fi~C~/II~D
<br />S[p 2
<br />COIO"'rto 6 2000
<br />Waterc
<br />ons"",..,
<br />...,lOns.
<br />Oar(j
<br />
<br />NOTE: If forming a state.wide water
<br />strategy is "not really the state's
<br />responsibility" (Walcber, Denver Post,
<br />9,24.00), then Colorado's Legislature
<br />should rescind its 1937 water planning
<br />charter for tlle Colorado Water
<br />Conservation Board. A special State.
<br />wide Water Court may be necessary
<br />for those vital inter,basin and inter.
<br />state decisions being ducked by
<br />Colorado's Executive Branch, Since
<br />1987, Colorado's water strategy has
<br />been based on the anti,storage views of
<br />'its .ole Colorado River negotiator, His
<br />well meaning, but misguided
<br />environmentalist views have
<br />encouraged federal policies that benefit
<br />California, while blocking headwater
<br />storage for Colorado's state-wide
<br />drought, growth, and enviroomemal
<br />needs, Colorado's Colorado River
<br />negotiator is now an outside consultant
<br />for the Attorney General's office,
<br />
<br />NOTE: Colorado's Legislature destroyed productive state water planning in 1969, when it established the
<br />West's only basin.oriented water court system, Since 1969, Colorado has developed about 70% of our nation'.
<br />water lawyers, and virtually no new water storage for its growing population. Colorado's cities, fanns, and
<br />environment are now highly vulnerable to multi-year droughts, while its wet-year runoffs are increasing for
<br />California's benefit. Even wattle, Colorado's natural resource lesders have become followers of misguided
<br />federal policy changes that assume headwater storage projects are "politically incorrect", Governor Owen" and
<br />Colorado's Legislat= must initiate an emergency high altitude, off,channel storage program to save Our state's
<br />Water future from 30 years ofn.glect and misdirection, (D.ve Miller, 719-481,2003)
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