Dear editor,
Great article on our current housing shortage! It’s about time we covered this important issue extensively in our local press.
To better understand where I came from, I graduated from Summit County High School in 1960 and lived intermittently in Summit County for nearly 12 years. In the early 1970’s I worked at the Eisenhower Tunnel Union on I-70. I worked 40 hours regular work time and 20 hours overtime every week. Even then, this income can barely make ends meet due to the HIGH COST OF LIVING.
Open Doors RV rentals are now on site at the Salida RV Resort Park. Part of the solution to the county’s worker housing crisis. Bill Almquist photo
While the lack of affordable real estate and housing for our workforce is a concern, the underlying problem is that high real estate prices inevitably lead to higher prices for goods and services, which increases the cost of living for workers. In Salida and Buena Vista, fast food chains, Walmart, and even the local BV grocery store and post office are now paying $20/hour or more to recruit unskilled entry-level workers, which translates into increased costs for the delivery of goods and services.
So I think not only do we have a workers housing problem, we also have a workers economy problem in the form of a very high cost of living.
The net effect was to discourage working-class families from moving to Chaffee County. I don’t have all the answers, but I know that I will not vote for a political candidate who drives the growth and change agenda.
What we have been doing across Colorado (including Denver) is destroying our once affordable labor economy through uncontrolled growth and accelerated change. End of the story.
Gary E Goms
Buena Vista, Colorado.
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