Decision day for Ascendigo Autism Services’ controversial proposal to construct an “educational facility” on rural land in Missouri Heights has been set for June 28, beginning at 8 a.m. — sharp.
“We’ve heard enough testimony,” Garfield County Commissioner Mike Samson said at the conclusion of Wednesday’s continued public hearing. “In fact, I’m going to say we’ve heard the same testimony over and over and over and over.”
Since Monday, the Board of Garfield County Commissioners has listened to staff presentations, attorney rebuttals and hours upon hours of public comment, both in person and virtually, concerning the proposal for the Ascendigo Ranch.
“I would like some time to contemplate everything we’ve heard for the last three days and not just come up with a decision here in the next hour,” Commissioner Tom Jankovsky echoed.
The Carbondale-based nonprofit Ascendigo, which supports individuals with autism, has proposed building an “educational facility” on a 126-acre property located approximately 7 miles east of Carbondale and 4 miles northwest of El Jebel.
Specifically, Ascendigo’s proposal calls for the construction of a 14,000-square-foot activity barn, two 8,500-square-foot lodges to accommodate up to 24 campers and nearly 50 staff members (combined), a 3,500-square-foot home for an on-site staff family to live in, a 1,700-square-foot guest cabin for rental use and a 6,800-square-foot basecamp facility for registration and meal service.
Karen Moculeski, president of the nonprofit Keep Missouri Heights Rural, said she was concerned about having a “commercial kitchen” 300 yards away from her home, should Ascendigo’s proposal be approved.
“None of us have air conditioning. We have to open our windows. We love to open our windows. We love smelling the fresh air, the sage, the grass.” Moculeski said. “I don’t want to smell chicken nuggets every day.”
Keep Missouri Heights Rural has received significant community support and financial contributions from individuals who want to stop Ascendigo’s proposal from becoming a reality.
Keep Missouri Heights Rural’s GoFundMe page has raised $23,895 and its petition opposing the proposal has garnered more than 600 signatures.
But not everyone in the area opposes the would-be summer camp operations.
“I don’t envy your position, having to make this difficult decision … but I don’t think it should be that difficult,” Phillip Ring, who lives in El Jebel, said to the board of county commissioners Wednesday. “We should be bending over backwards to welcome and accommodate this incredible organization and applaud their remarkable efforts.”
Those who spoke against Ascendigo’s proposal over the course of the three day public hearing maintained that their opposition had nothing to do with the autism support services provided by the nonprofit organization. In fact, Moculeski and others praised Ascendigo’s work in the Roaring Fork Valley and made clear their opposition dealt with fire concerns, water scarcity, emergency accessibility and the proposal’s classification as an “educational facility.”
Opponents have called Ascendigo’s proposal a “camp” not an educational facility.
Garfield County’s Land Use and Development Code specifically defines an educational facility as “buildings and uses for instruction or research activities associated with an academic institution that has curriculum for technical or vocational training that may be, but is not limited to, kindergarten, elementary, secondary or higher education, including residential facilities for faculty, staff, and students.”
Near the end of Wednesday’s public hearing, Ascendigo Chief Operating Officer Dan Richardson refuted any notion that the nonprofit organization did not provide an educational experience to its participants. Richardson said Ascendigo’s work brought meaning and purpose to people’s lives, which he believed was “very much education.”
“What we do at Ascendigo doesn’t fit in a box. And that’s specifically why Ascendigo exists is because the box hasn’t fit for us,” Richardson said. “We’ve had to modify and use best practice standards in the research of autism, which is still relatively young, to figure out: how do you educate, how do you support individuals with autism? And that’s what we’re doing.”
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