Steamboat Pilot & Today

Harbor can go

What's all the hype about the Harbor Hotel? It's ugly, no one ever uses it and the restaurants generally are unsuccessful. It's not exactly F.M. Light & Sons, or the famous barn, or the other really historical buildings that make downtown unique. And, by the way, I am a longtime local. And why is everyone so excited about saving the Harbor Hotel and no one is saying anything about the old school on Seventh Street? That's far more historical than the Harbor Hotel. I don't know what they plan to build in place of the hotel, but what if they built a nice, fitting building with a well-to-do business like the new Ski and Bike Kare building? If "old" is your only criteria for labeling something historical, then you better start defending a lot more than just the hotel.

Harbor adds character

I think the Harbor Hotel deserves to be preserved. I would rather have a bastardization of international-style architecture adding character to downtown Steamboat Springs than Jim Cook's generic vision of Anytown, USA.

Don't glorify immigrants

Eighty thousand illegal Mexicans in Colorado is 80,000 too many. The Pilot should be doing more to stem the flow of Mexicans and other illegal immigrants rather than encouraging them with full-page, six-part series. What about all the hard-working, honest locals who are being displaced by all of these immigrants? I bet if it was the Steamboat Pilot & Today editor's job who was in jeopardy because of this, you'd be printing a totally different story.

Kudos to teachers

Kudos to the Strawberry Park teachers who have their eyes wide open. The school district collaborative bargaining process has shafted teachers and support staff for many years, but teachers have gone along with it because they're afraid of speaking up.

What happened to all the money that was withheld from teachers' salaries with the promise of future adoption of a knowledge-based pay system? How much was paid out in bonuses to our administrators this year that doesn't show up in salary figures? How much did the district pay in consultant fees this year? lot more than the $8,000 it would have taken to give low-paid staff a small raise. Why isn't the Steamboat Today digging into this issue?

Half-cent nonsense

So the departing South Routt School District superintendent, Steve Jones, and some of his board members are unhappy that the Steamboat volunteers who administer the half-cent sales tax funds are not interested in spending any money down south but only in sharing some of the many educational assets that these funds have provided for the Steamboat district. What portion of the wording in the enabling ordinance approved to create this taxing mechanism don't these folks understand? It states "Whereas, the City Council desires to increase the sales and use tax to provide funds to be used exclusively for the benefit of the Steamboat Springs School District RE-2, Routt County, Colorado for educational purposes." If the fund folks spend one penny outside of the Steamboat district, they would do so in violation of this ordinance, and Steamboat Springs voters, who have to re-approve this tax in a few years, would clearly remember this action when then enter the polling booths.

Tear it down

No, the Harbor Hotel does not deserve historic designation. et someone build something there that actually does look historic.

Hotel needs to go

No, I don't think the Harbor Hotel deserves historic preservation. I have been inside that building, and I think that anyone who has been inside would not consider it worthy of efforts to be saving it. I don't think the Nite's Rest is a beautiful building worthy of anything else. I'm glad that someone's got an idea to get rid of that big mess that's the bus stop at Seventh and Lincoln.

Bus stops moved

I wonder if anybody else noticed that all the bus stops downtown are moved again? The one that was in front of the Smokehouse is now in front of Lyon Drug. The one that was in front of the old Rocky Mountain Chocolate Factory is now back to where it was. And why was the parking on Seventh Street changed from one side of the street to the other?

Lafarge should leave

Lafarge should just pack up and leave Steamboat. They think they can bring in their corporate lawyers to intimidate the commissioners and the property owners and then file a lawsuit when they don't get their way. Steamboat would be better off without Lafarge.

Save the harbor

Yes, we should preserve the Harbor Hotel. It may not be historic in comparison to Europe, but in a town that's only 100 years old, it should be considered historic.

Foul ball

Triple Crown should not be allowed to use the ball fields at Heritage Park. These parks were promised to the local homeowners.

Aliens vs. immigrants

I'm a little confused about the series called "Crossing the Line." If it's supposed to be about immigrants, why is the lead story about an illegal alien? I hope you understand the difference between immigrants and illegal aliens.