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Toward a busy and active year for Durango

SHAUN STANLEY/Durango Herald - DURANGO - 03/04/2013 - Durango Mayor Dean Brookie.

I was sworn in as mayor of Durango on April 21. These are the remarks I made upon accepting the position:

I am honored to be your new mayor for 2015-2016.

This coming year promises to be without exception the busiest and most active in the history of Durango with more tasks, more requests for public funds and an ever-changing demographic that calls Durango home.

Two years ago I ran for City Council on the campaign theme “Drawing on our History, Designing our Future.”

As an architect and land-use planner, I am particularly excited to support a clear vision of what we, as a community, want to look like and feel like in 30 years.

To achieve that vision, I would like to recap a few of the activities we will accomplish, collectively with an engaged citizenry, this year. The North Main Character Study “envisioning” potential uses that add visual quality and economic vitality to an existing part of our community that we drive by every day.

Similarly, we will be evaluating “Character Districts” along College Drive and Eighth Avenue corridors.

We will be completing a Facility Master Plan to inventory all city-owned structures to gain better perspective as to their future use. This study should be complete by late summer to begin the process of creating more efficient utilization of public space that will dovetail with similar studies of county properties and School District 9-R. There are many puzzle pieces for consideration for use of public space.

Thanks to your support of the ½-cent sales tax renewal, we will continue with improvements to the river trail, “put ins” and “take outs,” our multi-modal system and embellish our Gold Medal Recreation Community.

We will address the newly imposed environmental upgrades to our Sewer Treatment Plant, but not until we turn over a few more stones to evaluate alternative sites, downstream past the high bridge near La Posta Road.

We are adding focus to the Airport Master Plan to fully understand the cost implications and methods of funding for the possible construction of a new terminal at Durango-La Plata County Airport.

Simultaneously, we are implementing a new Accessibility Block Grant and ADA transition plan for downtown merchants to gain assistance in making their businesses more accessible to people with disabilities.

This year, we will also be installing 70 new ramps for disabled people on our city streets.

We have launched a Housing Study this spring to: 1) inventory our existing housing stock, 2) quantify specific needs and 3) develop new strategies to meet those needs. We will be revisiting and implementing the La Plata Climate Energy & Action Plan.

All this activity will likely result in creative and new planning strategies to address critical community elements I, as your new mayor, call “the Key to Durango.”

Some new issues we are currently evaluating is the burgeoning homeless population and panhandling, which is alive and well in Durango, posing a challenge to our residents and a real economic impact to our merchants.

This is not an easy fix and will require the talent and resources of our city attorney, police, merchants, Manna Soup Kitchen, Axis Health System, Volunteers of America and others to arrive at a defensible and humanitarian solution that protects the rights of all.

We will continue to support the arts and cultural community including the Durango Arts Center, the Durango Powerhouse Science Center, the variety of special events that occur throughout the year and the Public Art Commission. We are initiating an Arts and Culture Master Plan to generate a template for how the city fosters the variety of cultural opportunities that create the unique character of our enriched community and support our economy.

These items are in addition to the continual transportation, recycling, utility and street maintenance tasks that our staff carries out each day.

In closing, I challenge every member of our community to be engaged in the vision of what Durango will become to assure we preserve and enhance the “key” elements that make Durango the best community to work, play and live 30 years from today.

Let’s have a great year!

Dean Brookie is the mayor of Durango, a position rotating among members of City Council. He was elected to the City Council in 2013 and will serve as mayor until April 2016, when he will be succeeded by now-Mayor Pro Tem Christina Rinderle. Reach him at DeanBrookie@DurangoGov.org.



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