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WEEK OF FEBRUARY 9, 2023
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Silver Plume purchases 200 acres to preserve history
Our in-depth look at the housing crisis
The small town of Silver Plume raised $600,000 in less than a year to purchase an area of land with a rich history BY OLIVIA JEWELL LOVE OLOVE@COLORADOCOMMUNITYMEDIA.COM
Gov. Polis stresses more housing is key to Colorado’s economic health BY ELLIS ARNOLD EARNOLD@COLORADOCOMMUNITYMEDIA.COM
If lawmakers don’t act to make housing more affordable now, “we will soon face a spiraling point of no return.” That’s what Gov. Jared Polis said in January, during his annual State of the State Address. He noted myriad problems linked to rising housing costs.
People, he said, “are being forced out of their neighborhoods with no hope of ever living close to where they work.” “That means more traffic, lost time and money spent on long commutes, more air pollution, and greater economic and workforce challenges,” Polis said. Polis added that rising housing prices are “putting the dream of homeownership out of range for
more and more Coloradans.” The governor’s assessment squares with the findings of Colorado Community Media in our four-week series exploring what many experts say is a housing crisis — one that affects practically everyone in the Denver area. Lower-income workers are seeing larger chunks of their paychecks
The town of Silver Plume recently purchased 200 acres of Brown Gulch and Republican Mountain in an effort to protect cultural resources, preserve open space and protect the history of the town. On Jan. 30, town officials closed on the historic land purchase after raising $600,000 in just shy of a year. The town of around 200 people saw donations from businesses, foundations and individuals from the community. The land the town purchased has a history for Silver Plume that won’t soon be forgotten. The purchased area includes 95 mining claims and what was once the Mendota Mine, which saw its heyday in the late 1800s. Doug Watrous, founder of Jack Pine Mining, was a fixture in the Silver Plume community for years, known for his passion for mining.
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