Rangely trustees hear magazine proposal, request for ‘dark sky’ designation

RANGELY | Trustees for the Town of Rangely heard a proposal for a magazine that would help advertise the town locally and regionally from business owner Beth Wiley at the Sept. 27 meeting. Wiley has been responsible for the advertising inserts mailed with the town’s utility bills and now wants to create a full-fledged magazine. She’s seeking the town’s financial support in the amount of $1,000 a month, as well as support from other sources. She presented a mock-up of what she envisions the magazine would look like to the trustees. “It would be a local magazine that talks all about Rangely, locally and regionally distributed for general information.” Trustees were divided in their reaction, with some saying they liked the idea, and others questioning the cost. “My intent is, this is not a newspaper … I’m not trying to cover all the news. I want it to be positive and celebratory of everything about Rangely, like every part of Rangely, past, present and future. That is the purpose of the magazine and so I will be starting from that point.” The board did not make a decision on the proposal during the meeting. Resident Julia Davis asked the board if they would consider pursuing a Dark Sky Designation for Rangely as communities like Westcliffe and Silvercliffe have done. “The town makes a commitment toward eliminating or lessening light pollution,” she explained. The goal is to have lighting that is directed downward, not upward. “It lets you advertise as an ecotourist for stargazing, also good for animal migration and for human health. It’s a process, it’s not something that has to happen in time. As lights need to be changed they would be changed to Dark Sky lighting,” Davis said. The board indicated that they would like more information, as the designation would require an ordinance. Town Administrator Peter Brixius gave a report on the Rangely Development Agency meeting. The group is discussing the possibility of a co-op grocery store. “There might be some enhanced loyalty to a cooperative store that’s locally owned and managed,” Brixius said. In other business, the board discussed asbestos abatement at 238 S. Birch St. When asked why the town was taking on that responsibility, Brixius said, “It’s not getting cheaper to deal with, and it is collapsing. That is a vermin-infested unit. It’s not going to get better over time. We are checking to see if the owner has any resources to apply, but he’s in an assisted-living unit at this time. We would end up liening the property.” Brixius said there’s at least one other property in town that it’s “very safe to assume” has asbestos-containing material. The property is in danger of becoming structurally unstable. “At this point we could still go in and have it abated,” Brixius said. “We either get it on the front in with abatement or on the back end with controlled demolition.” The trustees next scheduled meeting is Oct. 11.