For the past week and a half, the Durango flag at City Hall downtown has been flying upside down. I recall that when a flag flies upside down, it’s a distress signal. All the other flags were flying right-side up. What sinister forces are afoot to prompt such an SOS? Should we be concerned? Should I stock up on canned soup and ammunition? – Blowin’ In The Wind
Durangoans have strong opinions, and they certainly aren’t afraid to let their city officials know where they stand.
Combine that with an unusual number of inevitable controversies and self-inflicted gaffes, and you can see how a bunker mentality could develop in City Hall. So, it’s no wonder a distress signal flies on East Second Avenue.
Think about the kerfuffle over a retirement party. Then there’s Oxbow obnoxiousness and ADUs becoming a BFD. Rallying against vacation rentals has become a full-time job. And there’s the Boot to boot.
Ah, the Boot. How does immobilizing a vehicle after just one unpaid parking ticket provide “better customer service?” And then how does upping that limit to two tickets make the situation any better?
Sure, the city needs to raise revenue. But in doing so, it manages to raise eyebrows and tempers.
Perhaps the new municipal motto is: “We’ve upped our limit on parking tickets, now up yours.”
But in all fairness, the city isn’t to blame for half of the things people grumble about.
Take the U.S. Highway 550/160 construction project and those green “bike boxes.” Both are actually Colorado Department of Transportation projects. Hey, they’re in the city limits, so it must be a city thing.
Or maybe the upside-down flag comes in response to retail marijuana, as ganja-preneurs stormed River City Hall and slept there overnight to be first in line for land-use approval.
Anyway, Action Line called City Hall to see if anyone noticed the upside-down Durango flag. City Manager Ron LeBlanc picked up his phone.
“Hi, Ron. It’s Action Line. Say, the Durango flag outside your office is flying upside down. Are thing’s OK? I could call the cops. They’re just across the street.”
Ron left his City Hall command post to examine the flag. Sure enough: Durango’s colors were fluttering upside down in the warm July breeze. He advised locals to keep calm.
Instead of a distress signal, the upside-down flag is symbolic, the city manager deadpanned.
“It’s in sympathy for the Occupy Nighthorse Movement. We are encouraging people, through that flag, to show up at the Bureau of Reclamation facility to see if they can open Lake Nighthorse.”
Within the hour, the flag was flying correctly. But the Occupy Nighthorse Movement is dead in the water. No one can say when the reservoir will open, although the city of Durango has expressed interest in being its recreation manager.
Allow Action Line to make a snarky observation: If the city struggles with policing rowdy rafters and titubant tubers floating on the Animas River, what makes it think it can handle throngs of people piloting overpowered watercraft on a huge lake?
Maybe we ought to flip that Durango flag back to the upside-down position.
H H H
Thanks for all the kind words about last week’s column reflecting on 30 years in Durango. Interestingly, several people didn’t remember a restaurant called “Season’s” where “Denny’s” now stands.
Among them is our good friend Sheri Rochford Figgs. She recalled the restaurant as “Sambo’s.”
“I used to drink 10-cent coffee there while studying for FLC finals. My roommate and I would sit there all night, and the coffee was still 10 cents no matter how many refills,” she writes, adding that “Ben Breed streaked through Sambo’s one time with another fellow.”
Anyway, here is the naked truth: SRI, the corporation that owned Sambo’s, filed for bankruptcy in 1981.
Eventually, 618 Sambo’s were renamed “Season’s Friendly Eating,” including the one on Camino del Rio. Many Sambo’s locations were sold to Denny’s, also including the one here in town.
Action Line found a 1983 Durango Herald ad for a Season’s and 1984 news item announcing Season’s sale to Denny’s and upcoming remodel.
Bon appétit!
Email questions to actionline@durangoherald.com or mail them to Action Line, The Durango Herald, 1275 Main Ave., Durango, CO 81301.
