Woodward says no to bike path

Virtually all of Fort Collins, from our elected officials to community organizations, realizes the importance of keeping Woodward Inc. in town, which may help explain why the city’s planning and zoning board decided not to push the company to include an easement for a bike path in its plans for a new HQ at the Link-N-Greens golf course.

City staffers had suggested a small change to Woodward’s project development plan that would mean a 15-feet-wide public access easement along the western boundary of the 101-acre property. The idea was to accommodate a future trail connection from Lincoln Avenue to the Poudre River Trail.

Including this easement would have increased bicycle connectivity, according to city staff.

But Woodward representatives asked that the condition be removed because including it would be a security risk.

After a lengthy discussion near the end of what would ultimately be a more than five-hour planning and zoning board meeting earlier this month, the condition was removed and the plan approved by the city.

Really, it was a no-brainer.

Autoweek features Barber’s take on new Corvette

Scott Barber of Scott Barber Apparel knows fashion – and, it appears, cars.

In a recent Autoweek feature, the Loveland clothing designer complimented Chevrolet’s 2014 Corvette Stingray, also known as the C7.

Barber, a car collector, pointed out the Stingray’s stunning body aesthetics on everything from the grille to the rear quarter panel.

Barber told Autoweek that he loves cars more than clothing. He learned to drive in his father’s Porsche 911 and Aston Martin DB2 convertible, and he drives a Porsche 911.

He told the magazine the C7’s design was stirring. “It’s something you think about afterward that just gets under your skin,” he said.

He also offered a bit of criticism, saying the back end “looks too much like the last generation Corvette.”

You can see the piece at scottbarber.com.

Betsy’s back and ready to serve, again

In case you hadn’t heard, former Democratic 4th Congressional District Rep. Betsy Markey is moving back to Colorado and thinking about returning to state politics.

“I missed Colorado, I missed my family, I missed my home, my friends and it was time to come back,” she told KUNC in a recent interview.

Here’s what else the station’s Grace Hood wrote:

The one-time congresswoman has been out of the political limelight for just over two years. Since losing her re-election bid in 2010 to Cory Gardner, Markey has kept a lower profile in Washington overseeing the Office of Intergovernmental Affairs at the Department of Homeland Security.

Right now Markey’s busy remodeling her Old Town Fort Collins house that she shares with her husband, Jim Kelly. She has three grown children, two of which live in the Denver area. The third is serving in the Peace Corps in Africa.

During a recent visit, the entry way was filled with boxes. The first floor living room was completely devoid of furniture. Blue paint swatches covered the walls. Instead of staffers, Markey was followed around the house by her golden lab, Bella, and her daughter’s rat terrier, Willa.

In her spare time, Markey says she’s considering a return to politics — although she won’t say for which office.

“I’m looking at a couple of possibilities possibly statewide,” she says. “I don’t think I have run for my last political office, but I haven’t made any decisions at this point.”

Banner Health’s next expansion: Maui?

While the local arm of Banner Health is planning an expansion into Fort Collins, one medical professional in Hawaii thinks that Phoenix-based Banner Health might be a good fit to take over Maui Memorial Medical Center.

In a column for the Hawaii Reporter, nurse Jan Shields wrote in support of Banner taking over the 213-bed hospital, located in Wailuku, Hawaii.

Shields contests that the people of Hawaii are not getting the health care they deserve, and after some research and a conversation with a friend who used to work for Banner right here in Colorado, came to the conclusion that Banner would be the perfect system to take over the hospital.

“Maui needs Banner Health.  People of Maui, call your legislators. We want this system.  The good people of Maui deserve Banner Health.  Banner Health deserves a welcoming aloha from the people of Maui,” she wrote.

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