European Stars and Stripes (Newspaper) - February 16, 1994, Darmstadt, Hesse                                By Sandy Shore the associated press d Enver s homeless need shelter. Colorado s Lowry of by slated for closing a. Has housing to offer. A a. To advocates for the homeless it is a perfect match. But to thousands of property owners it is More like a Nightmare and they re waging a Battle that is More heated than anything the base has seen in its 57 years. Quot nothing s like what we be fun into in Denver Quot said John Carr program manager for the air Force base conversion Agency which is coordinating the closure of bases for the air Force. Lowry s neighbors want a say in How their area develops. Many Are afraid a concentration of homeless will cause crime rates to Rise property values to decline and neighbourhoods to deteriorate. Quot most of the people in our area Are humanistic. Most of us contribute quite heavily to charities including homeless providers Quot said Julie Mackay who co chairs United neighbourhoods organization a coalition of Lowry area Homeowner associations. Quot we do Stop Short of giving up our Homes and our neighbourhoods. A lot of the neighbors fee like they Are being asked to give More and More and. More. They Don t feel that s  there is no question that Denver has a homeless problem the Colorado coalition for the homeless estimates the number of of homeless families increased 88.5 percent Between 1990 and 1992. Its statistics indicate an average of 477 families a about 1,378 individuals a stayed in Denver shelters on a Given night last year. That excludes single people and families who sought help privately. Providers of housing for the homeless have top priority for surplus government property a like base housing a under the 1987 Mckinney act. So when the government announced it was closing Lowry they saw their Opportunity. Lowry which opened in 1937, sprawls across 1 >863 acres on the. It Border of Denver and its suburb Aurora. In 1967, the air Force closed its Airstrip and dedicated the base to education this year about 21,000 students attended classes at Lowry where 11,000 military personnel and civilians hold jobs. A Eclectic mix of residential and commercial developments surrounds the base ranging from $20,000 one Story Brick Homes to sprawling residences on tree lined boulevards that Are Worth More than $250,000. The United neighbourhoods organization representing these areas proposed that a maximum of 32 of Lowry s 867 housing units be reserved for the homeless. A group of citizens and government representatives went further. As part of their Overall base redevelopment plan a 187-acre educational Campus 538. Acres for housing 36 acres for Community services and More than 400 acres of recreation and open space they recommended that the homeless get a maximum of 86 units and 87 dorm rooms but homeless advocates wanted More and it seems they May get it. Tentatively the air Force has approved 196 units. A final decision is expected from the air Force in june but meanwhile tempers Are flaring. A Quot to me the hatred is the worst i be seen Quot said Denver City councilwoman Polly Flobeck. Opponents have packed Public hearings letters representing both sides of the Issue have appeared in the newspapers. Property owners have pledged to take their Case to congressional leaders. In addition attorney Tom Ham Sand some colleagues Are researching Legal issues to determine if there is a basis for a lawsuit. They also Are raising Money to help finance a lawsuit if the debate reaches that Point. But advocates like John Parvensky director of the Colorado coalition for the homeless Are trying to Calm their angry adversaries. Quot i think there s a lot of fear and ignorance of not knowing what we re proposing or what the situations of these types of families Are Quot he said. Quot we re focusing in these programs on families those who Are truly motivated to make a difference in their lives. It does t do any Good to place families in an environment that is destructive or  Short Subjec Alabama ski resort along Way from Alps by the associated press Snow skiing would seem to be the last sport you d find in Alabama. A White Hillside would be More Likely to be covered with Ripe Cotton than Snow. But for More than two decades people have been strapping on skis and Schissing downhill at Clou Dmont resort near Mentone the southernmost ski area East of the Mississippi River. No one would Ever mistake Clou Dmont for a Glamour spot like Vail Colo. There Are no movie stars. The Only Way to get to the slope is Down a Muddy dirt Road a take a left at the barn just past a pasture a and the parking lot has More pickups than porsche. Mentone located in Alabama a Northeast Corner Only gets about 6 inches of natural i Snow annually. But chief Snow maker Gary Jones can chum out that much per hour from each of nine Snow machines once the temperature dips below 28 degrees. Quot it s really crazy to be doing it so far South because its so against Mother nature a said Jones who does double duty As Green keeper at the adjoining Clou Dmont Golf course. Quot Here you have to Call ahead. We can to guarantee  but Clou Dmont has opened every year since it opened and it usually is open for 50 to 60 Days of skiing Between late december and Early March depending on the weather. The nearest alternative ski area is 130 Miles away at Dillard ga., which is about 40 Miles farther North than Mentone. Tennessee Menton Soult Moil Mim mat of Mississippi Olvar Alabama to. Montgomery Sis Clou Dmont has two Small slopes that cover nine acres. The base of the ski area is also the no. 1 Fairway so golfers Start on the third Hole during the Winter to keep from beaning any skiers. If the Snow melts and you Don t Golf there s a River beside the slope that offers the possibility of fishing. The longest run is 1,000 feet with a vertical drop of Only 150 feet. Anywhere else that a what most skiers would consider a Bunny slope. Quot we re a teaching place. We Don t charge for lessons. You can learn Here and then go to the High country Quot said owner Jack Jones Gary s father. An adult lift ticket ski rentals and lessons Are $27 on weekends $21 on a weekday. Quot on weekends we May have 200 people out Here skiing and another 200 just watching Quot said Gary Jones whose wife Cindy is a ski instructor. A few experienced skiers visit Clou Dmont and the resort even has its own celebrity Mark Herndon drummer for the country band Alabama jives just up the Road and is a regular a the was up Here last night teaching his daughter Quot said Kathy Blalock who rents skis at the base shop. Wednesday february 16, 1994 the stars and stripes 17