Dear Mayor and Honorable Members of the Silverton Town Board:
Please accept this correspondence on behalf of the Colorado 500, an economic contributor to the Silverton area for well over 43 years. The Colorado 500 has hosted over 3,300 motorcycle riders from across the USA and several foreign countries. The Colorado 500 has provided support to the Silverton local economy by designating Silverton as one of the daily destinations for the annual Colorado 500 Charity Ride. In addition to our collective contributions to Silverton’s local businesses, the Colorado 500 has collected donations from
our riders and made cash contributions to the Silverton Schools of $36,500 as of 2018.
Since the Colorado 500 began in 1975, Silverton has been a destination for our riders and a cherished occasion to make the check presentation to the Silverton Schools. The Colorado 500 would like to offer to the Town of Silverton our expertise and experiences to assist Silverton in evaluating and planning for the future that capitalizes on recreation of all forms to enhance the local Silverton area economy. We are familiar with the recent Silverton Area Trails Plan that proposes developing expanded opportunities for non-motorized recreation. We are writing you today because we believe that the recently released plan is too narrowly
focused and fails to acknowledge and strategize for a more inclusive and comprehensive plan that incorporates multiple-use and specifically motorized recreational opportunities. We are familiar with how Silverton and the surrounding area benefits considerably from the many diverse forms of recreation, to include multiple-use and motorized recreation. The Colorado 500 and our affiliates recognize the substantial prospects that exist to enhance and diversify the local economy through developing expanded recreational opportunities for a broad spectrum of recreational enthusiasts, not just non-motorized recreation.
The Colorado 500 desires to be an inclusive partner in the Town’s ongoing and future recreational planning efforts to help ensure a fair and comprehensive consideration of the many diverse forms of recreation that the Silverton area has to offer.
The Point of Contact for the Colorado 500’s assistance in planning Silverton’s recreational future will be Janet Lohman. Please feel free to contact Janet at: 970-927-4010
The Colorado 500 genuinely appreciates your consideration of our comments and offer to assist the Town of Silverton.
Sincerely,
Janet Lohman
President, Executive Director