REV07489 - Laserfiche WebLink

Home Browse Search

Russell S. Lewis 20 Grand Avenue Manitou Springs, CO 80829-0992 Governor Roy Romer State Capitol Building Denver, CO 80203 Dear Governor Romer, r;•'~. ;~_~.~-`.;'~~=~^IIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIII Ir, sss ~z3~ ~! J ,., ~~ "r. -~---- 0:l~i:. Apri] 25, 1989 I walk up Williams Canyon several times a week. The exercise refreshes my body, and watching a new day dawn over the canyon refreshes my soul. A hundred million years of Rocky Mountain history are on display in the walls of Williams Canyon. Castle Concrete now intends to destroy this record ae well as Lhe unique beauty of the Canyon for the sa ke of -- gravel. This is something like scraping away the Mona Lisa for the sake of canvas. Any idea that Castle Concrete -- or any other human agency -- can "reclaim" Williams Canyon once it's been destroyed ie as ludicrous ae it is arrogant. I believe strongly in free enterprise, free trade, and the right of a property owner to do as he pleases with his property. As Mayor of Manitou Springs, I always tried to uphold those beliefs. But flip over any right and you find a responsibility. The idea of unrestricted property rights only works within a community of people willing to accept the responsibilities that go with the rights. The responsibility that goes with "ownership" of land is an especially heavy one -- not at all like the responsibility that goes with ownership of a car or a house. People create care and houses. God creates the land. To under- stand the responsibility that goes with land you must carefully read the Par- able of the Talents. No one can "own" a Williams Canyon. One can only own a "deed": a contract with the rest of the community that gives you the right to do with the land what benefits both you and the community -- to profit from the "talent" placed in your trust, but to profit from it wisely. I believe that when a land owner violates that trust, the people of the community have a right to limit the owner's control -- in the same way one would seek to limit a demented person's control. I believe that to destroy Williams Canyon for the sake of gravel would, on the face of it, be a demented act. Therefore, as a member of the community that extended Castle Concret.e's "ownership" contract to Williams Canyon, I ask that you limit the contract.