I appreciate the letters in support of the recpath along the river in Silverthorne. They, however, completely miss the point of the election. The vote on August 14 is not about whether or not the existing path will be expanded and paved. That issue is in court and will be decided there. The vote is about the powers of eminent domain and whether or not the town council’s powers to condemn should be modified to take citizen views more into account when making a land use decision. The blue “No” signs around Silverthorne are paid for by Citizens to Save Our Blue River Trail, a misleading title in and of itself as the referendum has nothing to do with saving “their” Blue River trail. The trail has already been “saved” and reserved by the local property owners who have given the public the right to use the path. The property owners have even given permission for the path to be paved, making it wheelchair accessible if desired. The court will decide whether or not the current “saved” path will be turned over to the Town of Silverthorne to expand, widen, add railings and pave, quite the opposite of “saving” it.

At issue, then, on August 14 is the town charter statement: “The Town shall have the right of eminent domain for all municipal purposes whatever within or without the limits of the Town.” This is a very broad and limitless power indeed, putting every piece of property inside and outside of the Silverthorne town boundaries at risk! More broad and limitless than Dillon, Frisco, Breckenridge and Vail. The amendment addresses eminent domain usage for all non-essential projects and gives voters the right to decide if these projects are important enough to permit the very expensive and time-consuming process of condemnation to proceed. The amendment allows for eminent domain to be used for projects that directly involve the strategic infrastructure, health and safety of Silverthorne residents. It further states that for other types of projects the use of eminent domain must be put to a vote of the citizens of Silverthorne. To say the amendment is about whether or not the trail will be expanded and railings installed could not be further from the truth. This issue is way bigger then that. How Silverthorne voters decide could have national repercussions for other groups of citizens around the country who wish to see the power of government to take private property more closely examined. A “yes” vote will support returning more say on property rights to the voters in Silverthorne.

The entire text of the proposed Town of Silverthorne Charter Amendment to limit eminent domain is found at http://www.silverthornevoted.org