I am not a Durango resident and can’t vote in the upcoming city election, but I would like to encourage all my friends and the residents of Durango to vote for extending the half-cent tax for park and recreation facilities (Question 1A).
My family and I take advantage of some part of the recreation opportunities and facilities in Durango almost on a daily basis; including working out at Rec Center; walking, running and biking on the Animas River Trail, Horse Gulch and Overend Par, skiing at Chapman Hill and boating on the Animas River.
We who live in the unincorporated part of the county contribute one third of the tax collected for the park and recreation programs, while city residents contribute one third and out-of-county (tourists) contribute the other third. This tax also provides a match for GOCO funding that has brought in additional millions of dollars for Durango’s recreation programs.
There is a reason that Durango was voted the best Park and Recreation Program in the U.S. for a town its size. The combination of the half-cent tax and GOCO funding gives Durango the opportunity to provide exceptional facilities that other small towns across the U.S. simply cannot afford.
Help keep Durango’s fantastic quality of life for both its city and county residents, and vote for 1A!
Richard Speegle
Durango
