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Pagosa Springs is a living postcard, and it is being mailed more frequently these days. The realtors I spoke with: Mark Espoy (Jim Smith Realty), Mike Heraty (The Source), Stephanie Hill (Jim Smith Realty), JoAnn Laird (Galles Fine Properties), Susie Long (Galles Fine Properties), Lee Riley (Jann C. Pitcher Real Estate), Todd Shelton (Century 21)…

“Vacant lot sales are up 120 percent over last year,” Lee Riley, of Jann C. Pitcher Real Estate said, comparing 2004 sales to 2003 sales. “Inventory on vacant land is down 23 percent. Home sales are up 55 percent from last year and inventory is down about 38 percent.” Riley has more room in his…

Great New Homes is the largest builder of production homes on the Western Slope. They average 310 homes a year and are now focusing on the southern tier of the state which includes Pagosa Springs, Bayfield, Durango and Cortez. The Pagosa Springs real estate market changed dramatically in 2004. According to broker Jim Smith, the…

Part One of a series, exploring the rapidly changing real estate market in Pagosa Springs Nearly $150 million dollars worth of Pagosa Springs’ real estate changed hands in 2004, a 62% increase over the $91,630,136 volume for 2003. It appears that the Baby Boom generation has discovered Pagosa Springs. “The number one investment for baby…

For the fifth consecutive year, the President’s budget proposal has eliminated funding for the Department of Education’s Arts in Education programs, which includes model arts collaborations with schools, teacher professional development, and arts programs for at-risk youth. The President has never requested funding for these programs. Traditionally, funding is restored by the Senate and accepted…

http://www.artsperspective.com/current_detail.php?aID=a0a7f93a19282378aff1889d3379b766 Copyright Leanne Goebel. May not be used without permission.

An exclusive club? Pagosa mayor Ross Aragon welcomes the community to the CVC’s initial public presentation last November. Aragon and David Brown are co-chairmen of the CVC. Leanne Goebel: The CVC plan mentions the importance of diversity, as does the community survey, yet some have suggested that the CVC is not a diverse group. Many…

How does the CVC see the role of the Arts in Pagosa’s future? David J. Brown clarifies his reasons for getting involved in the town’s planning process, at the Community Vision Council’s November Town Meeting at the Community Center. Goebel: There is a lot of information in the summary report for the CVC that talks…

An interview with the Community Vision Council co-chairmen Council leaders answer some of the hard questions David J. Brown and Mayor Ross Aragon say they have become friends during the past eleven months working together as co-chairmen of the Community Vision Council. “The Community Vision Council is not a governing body, we’re an advisory body.…

Every major culture throughout history, has invested energy in making public art. According to Fulbright Scholar and University of New Mexico professor Mark Childs, the major function of public art is to make a place special. Childs was the first of three speakers in the “Creative Spaces Speaker Series,” sponsored by the Community Vision Council…