2A great bang for the buck

Close your eyes and imagine a world without (No! He’ll still be alive) the Animas River Trail, Whitewater Park, Oxbow Park and Preserve, Lake Nighthorse, Overend Mountain Park, Twin Buttes and Horse Gulch. These were made possible by the foresight of Durangoites two decades past. I’m talking the ½-cent sales tax voted for in 2005. Crazy old-timers! We voted to tax ourselves? Why yes, we did. Here’s why:

We used to weave and dodge our clunkers down main street and through the boulevards for breakfast at The Diner. Now we take the fabulous Animas River Trail. Once upon a time, we selected from one of three for a mountain bike ride: Animas Mountain (sucked going up, sucked going down); Perin’s Peak; or Raider’s Ridge. Now we have Horse Gulch, Overend Mountain Park, Twin Buttes and tons more from which to choose. Way back when, we donned wool sweaters and long boats to scratch downstream and dip our paddles (and heads) in the turbid Smelter Rapids between the sewage treatment outflow and a hot, radioactive, smelter pile. Now we have Whitewater Park. All courtesy of the ½-cent sales tax (along with Lake Nighthorse, Pickleball, BMX and tons more!)

That funding is set to expire in 2026. We now have the opportunity to be heroes of the future by voting “Yes” on Ballot Measure 2A. “Yes” on 2A allows the incredible and selfless acts of our fore selves to continue in the healthy lifestyles of our after selves (and kids). 

With a “Yes” on 2A, we can support and improve what we have and continue to build on the amazing quality of life in this town we love. A “Yes” on 2A holds development of Durango Mesa into a world-class event and mountain bike facility, the extension of ART to Three Springs, and a new Three Springs Community Park. As an added bonus, we get funding for a new police station to make our stays after a too-much-fun Ranch evening that much more pleasant; and a new, consolidated city hall (to defend all that fun) in the renovated old high school building next to Buckley Park. 

We recently learned that voting does indeed matter. Vote for Durango. Vote yes on Ballot Measure 2A.

– Andy Corra, Durango