Have you seen the bumper stickers around town that read “Breckenridge: What the hell happened?“

I was glad to read about the Breckenridge Town Council decision to hold a hearing on Breckenridge Grand Vacations’ master plan concerning development of the Gold Rush parking lot. To me, these plans epitomize what the hell has happened to the town. This development seems grandiose beyond grandiose.

The inclusion of the extravagance of a gondola that looks to me like it will simply let people avoid crossing the street speaks to the pandering of their elite clientele to a point beyond subservience. While it is understandable that a gondola would eliminate making that walk in ski boots, wouldn’t a pedestrian bridge or tunnel (possibly with textured surfaces to make them less slippery), such as the one currently in use from the bottom of Four O’clock, serve the purpose?

Breckenridge has obviously grown in ways that leave many longtime and less wealthy residents wondering how much longer they can tolerate this type of unmitigated expansion. It is also questionable whether the Town Council’s hearing will have any bearing on the development regardless of how many citizens show up and voice opinions against it. It may also be too late to “save the soul” of a town that sold itself out to the almighty dollar a long time ago.

Breckenridge: Rest in peace.