I have been following the story on the issue of Western Excelsior's dust and debris.

I kept thinking surely the people who live around it realize there will always be a small amount of dust and debris coming from the mill. That is the nature of the business. When my husband Gary moved back to Mancos and I came with him he worked for Charlie Mitchell, the owner of Western Excelsior at the time. As I drove by the mill when the cyclone was running, it was like driving through a snowstorm the straw and dust were so thick. There were complaints then and they were justified.

As head of maintenance my husband helped Charlie clean up the mill considerably. With all due respect to those living close to the mill now, I do not see any dust or debris coming from it as I drive past. A little bit may be falling in surrounding yards but it is nothing like it was twenty plus years ago.

In the present Western Excelsior is still really trying to be a good neighbor. It would be a huge blow to the Mancos tax base if the mill closed. And what about the hundred plus employees (and their familes) who would be out of jobs? MANCOS, "WHERE THE WEST STILL LIVES." Is it just a catchy slogan or is it about neighborliness and a spirit of cooperation and compromise?

Judy Towne,

Mancos