ALAMOSA — Wednesday night’s meeting of Alamosa City Council was shorter than usual, coming in at less than an hour. But council made good use of the time, passing 3 ordinances on 2nd reading; celebrating Alamosa Public Library’s (APL) 50th anniversary of their Summer Reading program and getting an important progress report on the Mayor’s Challenge in raising funds for construction of the Little Learners Academy from Aaron Miltenberger, President and CEO of the Boys and Girls Clubs of the San Luis Valley (BGCSLV).  

As is protocol, council opened with the reading of a proclamation declaring the week of June 23 as “Summer Reading Program” week. APL Board members stood at the podium as Councilor Dawn Krebs, who is also on the board, read the proclamation aloud.  

Comments from the Library board were brief but heartfelt. Board member Rhonda Salazar had strong praise for the leadership and accomplishments of Library Manager Maria Kramer. Board President Will Krebs expressed gratitude to the city of Alamosa for their sustained public support of the program for 50 years. Board Vice-President Greg Wilson encouraged councilors to “come check out a book.”  

The strongest endorsement for the Summer Reading Program came from Councilor Jan Vigil who said his children were participating in the program. “And we’re going to the library every other day to check out books. What a great problem to have – taking your kids to the library every other day.”  

Three ordinances were passed by unanimous vote on second reading, including the ordinance that discontinues vendors retaining 2 percent of sales tax; the definition of a pet, which applied to the third ordinance that laid out a pet owner’s responsibility in disposing of pet waste. 

Next up – the Mayor’s Challenge where the city has committed to matching funds up to $50,000 raised by a fundraising committee toward construction of the Little Learners Academy. Aaron Miltenberger, Director of Economic Development and co-chair of fundraising Kathy Woods and Mike Wisdom, also a co-chair, didn’t mince their words in discussing the need for the community to support the facility construction.  

Woods told council, “We all know how desperately the SLV needs more child care. Building this beautiful building and staffing it with knowledgeable people will prepare our kids for academic success in school. But we aren’t getting enough support. Little Learners isn’t going to impact other child care providers – the need for child care is too great. So, we’re encouraging the entire Valley to help us make this happen.”  

Wisdom said, “I’ve been in the Valley about 30 years and one constant has been this conversation. We’re down to the last 25 percent of the entire project, and it’s a pretty amazing thing. Now it’s our turn to put the pieces in place and raise the level of what’s available here .”  Wisdom then thanked city council for their participation and “staying at the table.” 

Miltenberger was by the most direct in his comments, stating, “We came in with lots of support from foundations, grants, the state and federal government. People across the state believe in this project. People on the Front Range believe in this project. Foundations believe in this project. People in the city and county believe in this project. Now we need local investment.  

“When we say ‘it’s our turn’, it’s our turn to invest in this project. These are our kids. This is our backyard. We can’t wait for someone to sign a check for our kids. The Boys and Girls Clubs stepped up [and so did others]. The Valley does things the stone soup way – we all put a little in the pot so that all can eat. This is our future. Our turn to take responsibility and fill in the gaps. They aren’t big. We can do this. We’re not a place to step back and watch someone else feed our kids. It’s our turn to do this for our kids’ future.” 

Council members responded with praise for the project and the tenacity of those involved in making construction of the facility a reality.