I’m a little biased when it comes to singing the praises of my neighborhood. Even before it was rooted on the National Register of Historic Places, it felt like a good place to call home. East Third Avenue residents don’t say “You can’t get there from here.” Instead, we can point in any direction to show wanderers how to get anywhere they want to go. That’s how it feels when you live in the heart of a community.
Duane Smith, Maxine and Pete Peterson and Ron Stoner have played a huge part in preserving the authenticity of Durango’s oldest neighborhood. The Boulevard Neighborhood Association appreciates what these ambassadors have done not just for the residents but for the whole community.
On Thursday, we’ll celebrate their contributions at the BNA’s Thirtieth Year Anniversary Party. Our annual meeting at First Presbyterian Church is a Halloween potluck brouhaha; costume optional. You don’t have to be a member to trade war stories about East Third Avenue’s lack of parking, the need for safe crosswalks and the impact of standing united where temptations to repurpose our homes is a reality. We’ll collect our $20 annual dues and members will elect leadership. Before the night is over, we’ll talk about peace on earth – or at least peace in our corner of the planet. Plans will be set for Christmas Eve and the neighbors’ traditional luminaria display.
A fly on the wall might hear folks in agreement about the common thread that ties these four ambassadors together. It’s the passion and pride each shows in their contribution to community.
Thirty years ago, Maxine Peterson spearheaded placing the entire stretch of the Boulevard on the National Register of Historic Places as a residential historic district. The emphasis is on residential, she’ll tell you.
Durango’s first female mayor practices what she preaches: Set an example by fixing what’s broken. Care for your home and others will follow suit. Stay vigilant about protecting that which makes it a good place to raise a family. Be generous in helping other neighborhoods – because they, too, are going through similar challenges. Pete Peterson – the other half of this dynamic team – quietly picked up trash on the tree-lined median for a quarter of a century. Pete died this past summer. We miss him. He set the gold standard for keeping a lawn tidy, trimmed and weed-free. No one took more pride in displaying Christmas lights than Pete.
Together, the two inspired us to clean up our acts, work hard and be good citizens.
When Ron Stoner launched his three-decade career as the city’s arborist, the trees on East Third Avenue were dying. They had been topped, a common, quick fix sometimes used by unlicensed tree trimmers.
Because of years of poor pruning and general neglect, back then the insects were winning on the Boulevard, sucking the very life from the once stately American elms planted by our forebears.
Under the leadership of then-City Manager Bob Ledger and Richard “Rosko” Roskowinski, Stoner committed to a formalized, comprehensive urban forestry program.
It took 10 to 15 years to rid Boulevard trees of European elm scale, but the targeted application of systemic pesticides reversed the downward spiral. What was almost dead is now vibrant, with nearly 90 percent of the trees on the Boulevard alive and well. Disease-resistant varieties were planted to replace those that were lost.
In the 1990s when city engineers initially proposed removing the 600 block of the tree-lined median to ease traffic flow, residents suited up, raised hell and sent city staff back to the drawing board. Stoner was among those advocating for a safe solution that spared the trees. He was already well on his way to educating Durango about the value of its urban forest.
Now, trees are mandated in all development, commercial or residential, a credit to city planners who also were looking to the future. The narrow thinking and resistance Stoner recalls in the early days has been replaced by public appreciation for urban trees.
Duane Smith is fond of saying, “Who knows only his own generation remains a child.” Smith continues to educate all of us – from cradle to grave – about what separates Durango from other Colorado communities, such as Silverton and Telluride. His passion for gathering stories from the people who chose to put down roots here gives credibility to the vital role history plays in decision making for the future.
Our downtown could have been Downtown Anywhere, but the leadership from 1879 to 1882 had foresight and good vision as they laid the groundwork, Smith said. Keep businesses on Main, establish Second Avenue as a buffer and plat Third (then known as the Boulevard) as the street where churches would be built and families would live.
Smith wants Durango to be known for what it really was, not what Hollywood imagined it was. Durango’s history was not about Saturday night downtown gunfights. It was about people thoughtfully establishing a place to raise their families, a place they’d be proud to call home.
My neighbors join me in saying thank you to these four for their keen insight and passion.
Karen Brucoli Anesi is a charter member and board member of the Boulevard Neighborhood Association. Reach her at karenanesi@gmail.com.
