To the Editor:

In the article on Moraine Park in the July 11, 2013, Sky-Hi News, the fact the author, Ms. Kleh, never met either Lew Paul Geisendorfer or Norma Jean Long is evident, because if she had, there would be balance in the article. Instead, the documentation is all about the legalities of Moraine Park. What is missing is the soul-wrenching story of a veteran with PTSD or worse, trying to elicit just compensation for water rights from a crowd of bureaucrats with no money.

In the matter of Moraine Park, a grave injustice is being attempted. The article completely discounts the efforts of Norma Jean Long in trying to run an asset her husband could not, as he lay dying in the Printer’s Home in Colorado Springs, Colo., these past several years. Mr. Geisendorfer was a good friend, besides serving his country with valor, and kept the convictions of his political beliefs.

I walked Moraine Park for Paul and Norma, and later provided her with a file (the 911 file) from the county showing the addresses on the Moraine Park water system. She found about one-third of the connections were not currently paying anything for their water. Some were hooked up in sequence through another property, and others had been told by Lew Paul that they did not have to pay because of some hardship. When the hardship went away, of course, they did not spring to pay him or pay him back. Shame on you.

That is why the reporter could not get anyone to speak against Lew Paul or Norma. In terms of equity, you could not ask for a more tolerant couple. As to the water quality, put Moraine Park’s record up against Hot Sulphur Springs that last 10 years, and who will win?

If the people of Moraine Park want to fund their own water system, they more than likely can form a district to do that, they do not need Granby. As to the “free lunch” described by Wally Baird, where the State would fund the buyout of the system and Granby would provide water at $35 per unit, I say “preposterous.” If you want to discuss the predictable nature of municipal water districts and existing customers, I would refer you to the citizens of Kremmling and Hot Sulphur Springs, where you can hear what the real cost of water is through a municipal system.

How to get Moraine Park out of limbo? Get all the fines and penalties and interest removed from Moraine Park. Grand River Corporation could then fulfill the obligation they were always ready to, which is to turn the system over to the inhabitants, along with the commitment of water in perpetuity to liquefy the system, e.g. 50-acre-feet. What Grand River Corporation does with the rest of its water rights then is no business of the Town of Granby.

John P. Dolan

Seattle

Formerly of Kremmling