Editor’s note: The primary election is June 25. The Eagle will post results to The Crestone Eagle website as soon as they are available. This is the last set of endorsements received by press time presented in alternating endorsements.
Dear Editor,
Tom McCracken is serving our community and county with clear vision. He is a work horse who has brought more services, beneficial policy and infrastructure to Crestone/Baca, Saguache County and the San Luis Valley than any other county representative in our 35 years of living here. May his accomplishments speak on his behalf to be re-elected. Just to name a few:
• Spearheaded a six-county intergovernmental agreement (IGA) to protect communities like ours from trans-basin water diversion threats
• Acquired a sewer jetter truck for Center and supported Baca Water and Sanitation District to perform water loss testing in their delivery system
• Used sale tax funds to develop infrastructure for:
• Single-stream recycling at Saguache landfill.
• Crestone Fire Station addition and remodel.
• Brought southern Colorado seniors to provide Meals in Crestone.
• Chaffee Shuttle Service now in Crestone.
• Development of Crestone/Baca Kiosk Hub — Safe Routes to School (SRTS) trail and new Baca Nature and Heritage trail to the Refuge.
• Gunnison Public Lands Initiative/Gunnison Outdoor Resources Protection Act/Sage Grouse habitat, 45,000 acres in Sawtooth mountains
Appointed to Colorado County Inc., a state Public Lands Steering Committee.
• Advocated for Solar panels to be installed on Blue Waters Haciendas in Saguache.
• Baca roads maintenance, shoulder reconstruction and asphalt crack filling. New paving, evacuation route widened and stop signs installed.
• Equipment/Ambulance upgrades, Training scholarships.
• Rebuilt the SLV Tourism Association; and it is thriving.
• Restructured the SLV Development Resources Group & SLV Council of Governments.
• Brought Millet and legume for trials to CSU Cooperative Extension; an alternative to water consumptive crops.
• Spearheaded “know your local producer day” (3/20/21). Well over 100 producers participated.
• Serves on state Noxious Weed Advisory Board. County received $40,000 grant.
What’s next?
• Working with Emergency Management and the Baca POA to install a fire well in the Grants
• 32 affordable rental housing units at Range View in Saguache
• Passive solar design for affordable single family housing unit (9 sites) that the county owns in Casita Park
• New jail and courthouse facility
• White Eagle Village clean up and redevelopment
• Development of Weed Management and Weed Advisory Board
• Revegetation of lands and groundwater monitoring project
We are grateful Tom has decided to continue working on our behalf. He has our support.
Sincerely,
Chris Canaly and Mark Jacobi