Dear Santa,
Hey, looking forward to seeing you shortly! I always enjoy time with you, even your “be a little nicer to government” lectures.
So here’s my list. Like last year, there’s nothing on it for me. I’m actually “divesting stranded assets,” i.e., getting rid of junk from closets and the basement. But there are others in need, so maybe you can help.
Start with Colorado State University head football coach Mike Bobo by leaving really good offensive and defensive coordinators on his front porch.
Put a $10 million check in the city of Fort Collins’s stocking for the Vine and Lemay overpass with a kind but firm note about no tolling of streets and bridges in Fort Collins.
Leave a train quiet zone for the community, but without closing five of the 12 cross-streets (40 percent!) in the downtown area, which would make that part of town even more congested and unsafe during emergencies.
Pour a huge ladle of civility on everybody’s Christmas goose. This national humbug of disagreeing by being so disagreeable is not healthy.
Let there be warm coats for all children and young people. Nobody goes through winter without a nice warm coat.
For all Fort Collins residents and visitors, may there be two weeks without orange cones on any street or highway in Fort Collins.
Drop a traffic jam on north Interstate 25 for new Colorado Department of Transportation Director Michael Lewis. He’s a good guy and seems to understand our plight, but it wouldn’t hurt to remind him we need help. Just make sure nobody gets hurt while delaying Lewis from his appointed rounds.
Speaking of transportation problems, put at least $600 million per year under CDOT’s tree, some from the existing state budget and some from a new voter approved revenue source. Give the gift of insight to Colorado voters to understand this is their problem to solve.
For Poudre School District Superintendent Sandra Smyser, fill a stocking with lots of businesses willing to provide internships, produce career videos, and otherwise give career insights and guidance to students.
Add to the Fort Collins Utilities department’s collection of Christmas classics a record of decision from the Army Corps of Engineers permitting expansion of Halligan Reservoir.
For all Coloradans, give the gift of a deep snowpack.
Put lots of money in the stocking of Project Smile (https://projectsmilefc.org) so they can provide dental care for kids who need it.
Give compassion, help and warm shelter for all homeless residents who want and need assistance. For the handful of troublemakers among them, help them get their acts together or provide them the vision, inspiration and means to decamp from Northern Colorado.
For the future economy of Fort Collins, gift an improved city development review process that is predictable and less time consuming, and eliminates the current abuses.
Give jobs for everybody who wants one and lots of training to help people transition and keep up during these fast-changing times.
Bestow a healthy shopping season for all area retailers.
Deliver a wonderful and safe holiday season of all!
Thanks, Santa!
Your pal,
David
Originally published in the Coloradoan on Sunday, December 17, 2017.