My grandfather Alva Short homesteaded on the lower Florida Mesa in 1900. He and my grandmother, Belle, initially lived in a dugout where they had their first of 12 children, all surviving into adulthood. They were smart, hard workers and Alva was filled with ingenuity. He installed the first electric generator on the mesa. Alva was a founding member of La Plata Electric Coop, now La Plata Electric Association.
In reflecting on how successful my grandparents were, especially given the times and conditions, it is obvious that they had an eye on the future. He lived on the same place until his death at age 99. He followed local and world news; we spoke often about current events. I believe Alva would advise us to retain our best thought leaders, move forward with renewable, sustainable energy sources; avoid looking back and hanging onto fossil fuels.
We have a good slate of experienced, knowledgeable and thoughtful board members who are already guiding us with this transition. Vote for John Witchel, Joe Lewandowski or Holly Metzger through your LPEA SmartHub account at lpea.coop or make sure to return your paper ballot by 4 p.m. on May 20.
Karen Zink
Durango
