Vail has a large Latino population, which most of the white people can't stand. I thought this was so very racist and offensive that I had to show it to everyone!

October 11, 2002

Letters to the editor

editor@vaildaily.com

This is my response to the Spraddle Creek homeowners' appeal of the recent decision by the PEC to approve Middle Creek. As a citizen and taxpayer of Vail, I believe that it is my duty to present this modest proposal.

There is a cancer in the town of Vail, and we have to address the problem before it gets any worse. I am of course referring to a specific development located within our fair town. Let me first say that I have nothing against the residents of this neighborhood. They cannot help themselves, for they are just products of their particular socio-economic class.

I don't believe for a second that this is a racial matter. Although some do bring up the race issue, I am not one of those. In fact, I have hired and befriended many people of this particular race and ethnic group, so you can see I bear no prejudice against them.

The neighborhood located at Vail's "front door" is a blight on the entire valley. When skiing down our pristine mountain all you can see is this neighborhood. It ruins the view. I wouldn't doubt that many people come to Vail once, see this horrible view and never return.

I would argue that as a direct result of the impaired views, our ability to enjoy our own properties within the town of Vail are damaged. The reason we come to a place such as Vail is to immerse ourselves in nature. How can a visitor and resident do this with this monstrosity at our front door?

The architecture of this area is atrocious. There are "no compelling architectural predecessors in the surrounding neighborhoods." The mass-to-population density ratio is completely out of whack. All we see are huge facades, none of them sharing any architectural relationship with each other or their surroundings. They do not fit in with the general European storybook village theme that we all hold up as the ideal.

The houses remain empty for much of the year. It reminds the visitor of the Bronx of the "70s. There is no life here, only empty buildings. This is not the way to demonstrate the vitality of our mountain community. We cannot help but feel sorry for the few people that are forced to live in this area full time. They must be constantly frightened being forced to walk on those empty streets.

The population of this area is excessively homogenous. This leads to many problems for our community. Due to the lack of diversity, the population's fears feed off each other and multiply. Their isolation from the rest of us creates a community that shows blatant disregard for the good of the entire town. They can only see their side of an argument.

They believe that their neighborhood is the entire town of Vail. In short, this is a very unhealthy environment to live in or visit. I would hate seeing this virus spread to other areas of our community.

So my solution to this problem is rather simple. The town must show the courage to condemn Spraddle Creek Estates. We should compensate the property owners and then reintroduce them into civil society.

Yes, it will be like trying to civilize the wolf boy, but it will be well worth the effort. Maybe another Vail family can adopt each of them. Let them live in the guest room for awhile. See how people in Vail actually live. Total immersion into our community will be the best way to re-educate them.

We should then tear down all of the horrendous structures located in the area. I believe it would be best to let the land lay fallow for a few years to disinfect. Greed and selfishness are hard germs to kill. After a prescribed amount of time has passed, the town can build a well-planned sensible neighborhood. The houses can be of modest size and, of course, they should look Bavarian. The transformation of Spraddle Creek Estates will become the envy of all who witness it.

Mark Gordon