Hi Action Line: I was hoping that you could get some updated information on the status of the Solar System Art project on the Animal River Trail. This is such a cool idea and things got started last year. However, since then, several installations have been damaged, removed and/or never even been completed. What happened to the sun? Are the missing planets ever coming back? I live along the river trail and am amazed at the number of people who stop to look at one of the pieces that is still there. Please find out when our universe will be whole again!
Thanks, Lost in Space
Dear Lost in Space,
I reached out to the city and here’s what it said: “Staff from a couple of departments are working with the artists on that installation. The goal is to rebuild or reinforce the sculptures so the artwork can withstand the typical Durangotang. This means adding protections against the pushing, pulling, shaking, scratching, hitting, hanging from, climbing on, howling and cursing often exhibited by Durangotangs who encounter art (similar to the ape creatures in the movie 2001 who encountered the monolith). The public pieces that have withstood these seismic forces typically are solid cast and bolted to a few tons of concrete, but even that doesn’t guarantee survival in this rough and tumble down. The Arc of history that was destroyed many years ago was made of steel beams and tons of rock. It didn’t last. Hopefully the measures underway will do the trick.”
As for the sun, it also needs repair, but I think it must be that broken boulder just south of 32nd Street, although I couldn’t confirm that.
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Dear Mr. Action Line,
Port-a-Johns are conveniently located at two of the racket sports courts in Durango’s Park system. The pickleball courts at Schneider park and the tennis courts at Mason Park each have a convenient bathroom. Those are two of the very few places in the entire Durango Park system to have bathroom these days. Several other park bathrooms are locked, closed “for the season.”
Question No. 1: When is bathroom “season”?
Question No. 2: Why do racket sports players get the convenience of bathroom facilities at those city parks with courts; do pickleball and tennis players have more continence issues than other park users?
Signed, Holding It During the Off Season
Dear Holding It,
Again, from the city: “Bathroom season in Durango is a warm-weather season. It lasts early March through October – pretty much like NASCAR – but varies based on the weather and demand. If someone encounters a ‘closed for the season’ sign at a city bathroom, it means the bathroom is unheated and we have closed it so freezing nighttime temperatures do not burst the pipes. It also means the bathroom season is over because the playoffs have taken place and the No. 1 and 2 winning teams are flush with victory.
Because of the unusually warmer temperatures this year, bathroom season is already underway. Outdoor restrooms that are not in danger of pipes freezing are open, and additional restrooms at parks will be opened as the temperatures continue to warm up. Port-o-Pots are currently in place in high-demand areas such as Mason Center Park, Schneider Park, and the Horse Gulch Trailhead. Permanent restrooms open year-round include Santa Rita, Rotary Park, the Recreation Center and library. For a map of public restrooms available in city limits, please visit https://www.durangoco.gov/1442/Public-Restrooms-Map.
As for which park users suffer incontinence issues, that may be a better question for the skiers and snowboarders who love using the trees instead of the nearest facility.”
Email questions and suggestions to actionline@durangoherald.com or mail them to Action Line, The Durango Herald, 1275 Main Ave., Durango, CO 81301. Today’s Fun Fact: The ape creatures in the “Dawn of Man” sequence of “2001: A Space Odyssey” were supposed to be primordial human ancestors. They represented an early struggling species of primate that evolved into humans after encountering the monolith, which was a mysterious alien catalyst for human life. Often referred to as man-apes or protohumans, henceforth they shall be called “Durangotangs.”
