Way to go, Durango, Chapman Hill is drawing more visitors than ever! Except you probably can’t find parking. Overflow is pushed into the gun club or farther across the roundabout to the church. One presents a dark (muddy or snow pile) trek. The other you face a circular speedway. Neither are kid or elder friendly. When will parks and rec realize it can’t adequately provide for skiers, boarders and skaters? Our skating programs (figure and hockey) are busting at the seams and soon will see reduced numbers if we don’t accommodate it. In typical Durango fashion, we build and the town outgrows facilities within a year or two. Acknowledge that we need another ice rink. If a small town like Gunnison can prove it useful, why doesn’t Durango see it? I can’t speak for figure skating, but hockey in Colorado mandates travel. Hockey enthusiasts stay in hotels and eat out a lot. With all the hotels popping up, all we need is the ice. Build it and they will come.
Barton Mangan
Hesperus
