


One of the factors that makes a community sustainable is new residents. New brings change and change destroys stagnation. When my husband and I chose a “forever” town, in 2010, we evaluated the schools, the library, the local non-profits, and the business community. We checked out the development code, and we attended town board meetings for multiple towns. We wanted a place that would allow us to realize our dreams, for ourselves and for the property we purchased.
True, there are things about Estes that I would never change, mostly the feeling of being a village. People here truly care about one another. Yet, unlike many small communities, we welcome newcomers who want to stay. It’s this cohesive community that makes Estes unique. We wish everyone (from infants to the elderly) success.
The School District we have now is even better than what existed back then. It goes well beyond teaching facts and figures. The old method of encouraging memorization and repetition does not suffice in today’s world. To succeed today, students must know how to think creatively, form opinions, and defend their position — while still keeping an open mind and treating those who disagree with respect.
The public library here strives to offer a varied program with activities for all ages: preschool, elementary, tweens, teens, young adults, parents, empty nesters, retirees, and “the elderly”. This results in a varied program. When I was a kid, libraries only offered books. Then they added music and movies. Today, our library offers meeting space, book clubs, take-home “kits”, computer classes, and the Maker Space. This is an incomplete list. Anyone with enough time to invest can find something appealing.
The most unique thing about Estes non-profits is the collaborative spirit. This is due in large part to the efforts of the Estes Non-profit Network (ENN) — originally conceived as Estes Park Non-profit Resource Center (EPNRC). Our extensive array of non-profits provides a diversion for the newly retired, allowing them to do some of the things they wish they had time to pursue during their career.
Our business community offers important staples locally. In Estes Park, my own household has recently purchased groceries, hardware, a microwave, several fans, crafting gloves. We realize the variety is limited on underwear and swimsuits, but there are some. I, personally, would love to have office supplies, especially everyday things like computer paper (preferably by the case), file folders, LED lightbulbs (again, in quantity) and pencil lead for mechanical pencils.
When buying locally, it saves the $68 a trip down the valley. This estimate is figured by the IRS rate for business based upon the average cost including replacement for a 100-mile round trip. Shopping locally also keeps your money circulating within the community, improving the local economy. Estes has a variety of lawyers, accountants, and medical personnel (many of whom do not live here) — but repair professionals (vehicle, plumbing, electrical, computer, fire mitigation, sewing machines, landscape artists, etc.) are more difficult to find and often have long wait-lists.
If you offer something I missed herein, please let me know.
Lower population numbers tend to discourage franchise shops and big box stores from entering the market. This is okay with me. I prefer the smaller, more creative, entrepreneurial shops. But smaller populations also drive up the cost of roads and utilities and other services we have come to expect. Fewer services discourage population growth, but fewer people result in fewer services. This is not the road to sustainability.It takes the average couple in Estes at least 60 hours a week of employment to cover the expense of living here. More for families with children. This leaves most parents and many other individuals without the time to enjoy our Library or the many festivals that Estes offers. Even hiking takes time, although just living in our nature-oriented atmosphere is a pleasure. Due to a combination of cost-of-living and a “lack of recreational activity” for young adults, we seem to be losing this age group in our population.
Perhaps due largely to cost, we are also losing children (and parents). Fewer employees means longer wait times, for now, and disappearing services / products in the future. What can be done to encourage a broader age-range and a stable population? How can we control rising expenses? OR … do we want to become a retirement community and simply settle for mail order or trips down the valley … and what then happens when we become “elderly”?
Agree? Disagree? Questions? Comments? RRRcyc@signsandwishes.com