News highlights: 2001

By JoAn Bjarko
North Forty News

Larimer County used $2 million of its open lands sales tax revenue to buy 780 acres along the North Fork of the Poudre River southwest of Livermore. The acquisition is called Eagle's Nest.

A long-standing controversy over how many animals could live at a Rist Canyon sanctuary for wolves and wolf-dog hybrids ended when county commissioners decided to let a reduction from 42 to 30 occur by natural attrition, relocation and adoption. WOLF (Wolves Offered Life and Friendship) was established west of Bellvue in 1995.

Construction of a new access road into Gateway Park in Poudre Canyon began March 1. The access was needed before the city of Fort Collins, which owns the land, would allow the general public to use the area.

Preliminary 2000 census figures indicated that 2,672 people called Wellington home, almost doubling the 1990 census. Preliminary census data for Larimer County indicated a 10-year population swing from 186,136 people to 251,494, a 35 percent increase.

Terry Nett, 55, of Bellvue took first place in the U.S. Handball Association's National Masters Singles Championships for his age bracket.

Following a packed public hearing, county commissioners gave unanimous approval to a new rock quarry in the Buckhorn Valley south of Masonville. Quarry backers called the Buckhorn's sandstone deposit a valuable resource; opponents said that large-scale mining operations are not compatible with residences and the peaceful quality of the valley.

Work began to turn the Romero house in the Andersonville neighborhood of north Fort Collins into a museum showcasing Hispanic contributions to northern Colorado.

Don LeFever took over as president of the Colorado Cattlemen's Association in June. Founded in 1867, CCA is the nation's oldest state cattlemen's association.

Thousands of people gathered in August to celebrate completion of the 108-foot-high Great Stupa of Dharmakaya near Red Feather Lakes. The stupa, an outstanding example of sacred Buddhist architecture, took 14 years and $2.7 million to build.

Transfort/Dial-A-Ride in Fort Collins began offering limited public transportation to LaPorte and Wellington in September. (The service ended eight months later for lack of users.)

The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service broke ground near the Buckeye exit of I-25 on Aug. 27 for a new conservation center to breed black-footed ferrets, an endangered species. Full build-out of the $8 million facility was expected to continue through 2006.

Holnam Inc. announced on Sept. 4 that it would close its cement manufacturing plant in LaPorte, laying off 100 employees with an annual payroll of $6 million.

Irish Elementary School received a $1.5 million grant to be spent over five years on bilingual education.

In conjunction with its 25th anniversary, Poudre Fire Authority's Station 7 in LaPorte received an extensive remodel that cost $211,000.

Election results: Voters in November said they wanted to retain term limits for county elected officials, which meant several county officials could not seek re-election in 2002. Foothills Gateway, a nonprofit organization that works with mentally retarded youths and adults, received voter support of a property tax that provides more than $2 million a year for its programs.

A new 20,000-square-foot building for the Boys & Girls Club opened in December on the campus of Lincoln Junior High School in north Fort Collins.

The Northern Colorado Water Conservancy District made its final annual payment - $1.1 million - on a 40-year loan from the federal government. The loan covered the district's share of the Colorado-Big Thompson project, which brings water from western Colorado to the east side of the mountains.

Fort Collins City Council voted in December to pursue alternative strategies to building a new truck route north of the city in its effort to relieve truck congestion on city streets. The council's resolution, however, left open the option of identifying a northern route sometime in the future.