Editor:

I’m not a geologist, real estate developer, or member of any community task force, just a construction worker who came here a year ago because I heard there was “a lot of work about to start” on South Aspen Street. Although the Lodge at Aspen Mountain never materialized, I’ve stuck around town and have been keeping a close eye on the Aspen Daily News for information about this particular plot of land.

One article last winter spoke of a man who was skiing and fell down a mine shaft. Another recent article spoke of the problems at the Residences at Little Nell job, in which the mountain was sliding into town, disrupting the foundations of the buildings above the project and triggering multiple lawsuits. Among all this, I’ve read many times about a plan to develop further up the mountain on Aspen Street.

It doesn’t take a geologist to do the math here. Steve Skinner has it right when he points out that this mountain is “riddled with mines and tailings and geologic infirmities.” No one can possibly know the extent of the damage that 150 years of mining has caused to the structure of the mountain, yet we just keep digging and digging away at the base. Environmental considerations aside, what self-respecting developer or contractor is going to risk millions of dollars on a building with a foundation in “Swiss cheese”?

Keep the development off the slope. Install a high-speed quad lift on Dean Street. Add a couple of bars and retail shops for the middle class to spend their money. If you want big, luxurious houses that sit vacant for half a year, build them on the golf course.

Adam L. Reiner
Carbondale