A bit of history. According to the US Census, the Town of Pagosa Springs had about 1,300 residents in 1960. That was about the time that the Town decided to install a municipal sewer system. Prior to 1960, most of the 600 or so homes in the downtown district had their own outhouses in the back yard.
Prior to 1960, a homeowner needed to be willing to construct and maintain their own sanitation system — to their own standards, presumably.
Then — finally — the community came together to build a shared system. I have no information about how much the initial system cost the taxpayers, but I would guess it cost a pretty penny.
I can imagine the excitement and trepidation that must have resulted from this development. On the one hand, an indoor (relatively odor-free) flush toilet must have seemed a delightful addition to everyone’s home, especially in the middle of winter. On the other hand, each household would now be paying a monthly fee for a service that previously incurred no fees whatsoever.
It’s now 2018, and the community of Aspen Springs — ten miles to the west — is approaching the same population downtown Pagosa Springs had in 1960. But Aspen Springs still has no municipal sewer system, nor even a municipal drinking water system, 50 years after the first one-acre parcels went on the market.
The Goodman family purchased one of those one-acre parcels in 1995, and subsequently estalished a very modest homestead there. No sewer system, no running water, no phone service. No government regulations, to speak of. No government services, to speak of. No homeowners association.
You might call it a “rural lifestyle.”
But change happens.
In Part Two, I mentioned a conversation that took place between local activist Christa Laos and two County commissioners on August 21. Also participating in the conversation was interim County Administrator Greg Schulte and County Attorney Todd Starr.
The discussion focused at first on the County government’s stated intention to “clean up” the property at 187 Bill’s Place, using either Public Works staff or a private contractor. It sounded like the clean-up effort might cost the taxpayers in the neighborhood of $40,000, and would result in making Warren and Joanne Goodman homeless.
Christa Laos summarized her visits with Warren Goodman, who has allowed piles of trash to collect on his one-acre parcel. In Ms. Laos’ view, the “problem” has been caused by extended and ongoing poverty, and also by different cultural values. Both Joanne and Warren reportedly have American Indian heritages. They reportedly live on very little money.
Ms. Laos was obviously concerned that the approach the County government was taking, in the Goodman case, would now become the model for forceably evicting other Aspen Springs residents who are living in poverty.
A model, that is, for government-generated homelessness.
Ms. Laos: “On August 1, I talked with Christina Cordalis from Housing Solutions of the Southwest. She’s awesome. She supplied me with information and applications. They provide loans for up to $25,000 at a one- to two-percent interest rate, to help keep people living on their land.”
Qualifying for these loans is problematic, however, when a family has been living in poverty — and in travel trailers — for the past 20 years or so.
Archuleta County made it illegal to live year-round in a travel trailer, in 2010. The new regulations did not, however, provide any housing alternatives for families who were already living in this type of situation. Like, for example, the Goodman family.
Ms. Laos noted that the County Land Use Regulations prohibit houses smaller than 425 square feet. That’s less than a quarter the size of the average American home built in 2017, but still beyond the financial means of a family living in poverty in Aspen Springs.
Commissioner Michael Whiting: “If we’ve got land use regulations or building codes that are getting in the way of people building smaller, that makes no sense to me at all.”
Commissioner Ronnie Maez: “I think the affordability of a home, for a working class person in this area, is something we seriously need to look at, and see what we can do to accommodate the workforce of this county.”
The conversation centered around helping people with limited means — who might currently be living (illegally) in travel trailers or RVs or tents — move into safer and more secure dwellings. Ms. Laos felt the County could access available grant funding for housing solutions, if only some of the land use regulations could be amended.
We also heard, briefly, about ‘affordable’ septic systems, although it’s my understanding that septic systems have simply become more and more expensive as the state develops stricter rules for waste water treatment.
By the conclusion of the conversation, everyone around the table seemed to be in agreement that County regulations are probably preventing the development of truly affordable housing in Pagosa Springs — and also in agreement that the BOCC has not yet defined the policies and priorities that might result in amended regulations.
Commissioner Whiting suggested that Ms. Laos connect up with the Pagosa Housing Partners, the new housing non-profit recently funded by the Town of Pagosa Springs to begin developing policy recommendations and a community-wide affordable housing plan.
Meanwhile, the BOCC seems to be moving ahead with its plans to make the Goodman family homeless.
While looking, a couple of days ago, for a satellite image of 187 Bill’s Place, I accidentally discovered that Warren Goodman had transferred ownership of the parcel to a certain “Verna Davis” on July 13, 2018.
I found that fact to be curious, because I’d listened to several BOCC discussions since July 13, and I’d never heard any commissioner, nor any County staff, mention the fact that the parcel was under new ownership. During each of those discussions, since July 13, I’d been left with the impression that the property still belonged to Warren Goodman.
Will this fact — new ownership of the parcel — change anything, regarding the proposed $40,000 taxpayer-funded clean-up?
When I spoke with Commissioner Michael Whiting, yesterday, he stated that he was unaware of the change of ownership that took place two months ago. I found that statement also to be curious.
Bill Hudson began sharing his opinions in the Pagosa Daily Post in 2004 and can’t seem to break the habit. He claims that, in Pagosa Springs, opinions are like pickup trucks: everybody has one.