Publications

Contact Us

​Jim Alt rounds out the current Cuchara Sanitation and Water District board

Although all seats are now filled, all are open for election this spring

by Bob Kennemer 
CUCHARA — Jim Alt was born and raised in Chicago,​and his parents still live in the Chicago area.   Alt’s higher education began in Illinois, where he obtained a BS Electrical Engineering at the University of Illinois (Champaign-Urbana).  He then ended up in Denver, where he completed an MBA at the University of Denver.  Most of Alt’s training and experience is in classical program management.  He worked for 38 years as an aerospace engineer and program manager with Hughes Aircraft Company and Raytheon.
Alt and his wife Sue have owned a home in Cuchara for more than 15 years.  According to Alt, “While working in Denver, Sue and I wanted to find a getaway that was no further than three hours from our home in Denver.  We explored on weekends and stumbled upon the Cuchara area in 1996.  Because we loved the area so much, we decided to build a retirement cabin which was largely completed in 2001.​”  The Alts still maintain a small apartment in Denver which they use whenever they need a “big-city fix” or have a medical appointments.
Alt and his wife enjoy their time in the area.  He says , “We like the Cuchara Valley for the solitude in the winter and coolness in the summer.  We also enjoy many of the people we have met here in Cuchara.​  We had hoped that Grandote Golf Club would still be opened after we retired which was in 2013.”  Alt says he enjoys golf, skiing, carpentry, wood working and travel.  Alt added, “I like to scuba when possible.”​
​ ​Along with his wife Sue, they have two adult children. A son age 38 and is living with wife and two kids in Arlington, VA.  They also have a daughter age 36, living with her husband and two kids in Genesee located west of Denver.
As for serving on the CSWD board Alt states, “I have a real interest in water resources.  Knowing that it’s a precious and scarce resource, I’m interested in making sure we conserve our water.  I also like the fact that I can put my engineering skills to good use.” Alt says his goals and objectives for the district are, “Ensuring that our water is produced as economically as possible and charged as fairly as possible.  I want to make sure our drinking water meets all requirements for purity.  On the wastewater side, I’m interested in ensuring we meet all requirements for reuse for the water that’s released after it’s been treated at the wastewater plant.​”
In closing Alt said, “My major concern is how does the water district modernize its aging facilities while keeping costs minimized?”
Jim Alt at his first session as a board member of the Cuchara Sanitation and Water District. Alt and his wife Sue have lived in the Cuchara area since 2001. Alt has an engineering background, which he feels will aid him as he devotes his time with the board. He says he wants to make sure the CSWD produces quality drinking water and discharges its effluent according to state standards, while keeping price affordable. Photo by Bob Kennemer.

Cement plant concerns

Building inspector suggests a negotiated move out of Northlands to site near prison WALSENBURG — The Walsenburg City Council convened a special meeting Friday, March

Read More »