Yes, our story last week about the failed zip line across the Colorado River, landing folks at Los Colonias Park and built by Bonsai, sure has caused a flood of conversation. And just like a flood that our fair city is praying against on its multi-million-dollar boondoggle “down by the river,” avoiding this waterboarding had to be part of those prayers as well.

Then again, given Grand Junction’s forays into the development business, this kind of flood is more of an annual event instead every 100 years. Or are we not allowed to say the words COSTCO, Homeward Bound or GJ Auto Sales by city proclamation?

Well, as my old favorite Neal Boortz used for the title of his book I have on my shelf: Somebody’s Gotta Say It. And while thousands have been ignored over the years by our esteemed city council, I’m gonna say it, we’re gonna report it, and it’s The Business Times’ solemn duty to make sure the City of Grand Junction hears it.

That goes for you as well, grower of little trees Bonsai that’s turned into a forest of failure down by the river.

And please spare me your calls with the expected, “Craig, you just want the city and Bonsai to fail.” I don’t. No one has written more positive stories on Bonsai than The Business Times. From that history alone, you’d think the owners of Bonsai would be returning our phone calls to get their side of the story out on what’s going on with the zip line. But alas, they decided to take their tree trimming to other, more friendly, city-approved, media outlets.

Maybe that’s because Bonsai knew something about The Business Times from its history with the paper. We were going to ask questions other outlets won’t ask, write down the answers and accurately report them in a story. After all, we had done that numerous times for them in the past. But see, that wouldn’t work now that it’s all about zipping past the current situation and floating down the lazy river to even more taxpayer dollars to “not use” for the ongoing success of Bonsai.

Because that’s what Bonsai’s owners are saying to local media and is being confirmed by the city’s attorney – you know, the guy who wrote into the contract that if Bonsai shuttered the zip line for more than a year, the city of Grand Junction could buy it for an additional SIX HUNDRED GRAND in taxpayer monies.

I’ll say it. That WAS the plan. What wasn’t in the plan, you ask? City council spendthrifts losing in elections faster than you could pay 25 bucks, and the ride’s over before you even got strapped in.

If you think the citizens of Grand Junction got short-changed on the zip line, they’ve gotten totally fleeced in the reporting following up the story The Business Times broke.

Haven’t you heard? It’s your fault the zip line failed. Because you wouldn’t pay the toll to take 30 seconds out of your life to look over the expanse of empty properties and a sandbagged, really, really, really, lazy river that’s so lazy, it just lays there.

So, we’re supposed to believe that Bonsai, the world’s preeminent zip line designer, located right here as the cornerstone of the City of Grand Junction’s riverfront development, didn’t do a feasibility study on whether a zip line would be a viable, profitable entity? Did our city even have a look-see, or did it do another survey during the downtown farmers market, asking folks if it would be cool, like it did with “public safety” (read: Bike lanes)?

You know the answers. Worse, more needed questions will never be answered. But that’s what happens when you have taxpayer dollars burning a hole in your pocket along with your ego for putting your name on monuments for civic projects.

Somehow, the one answer we are getting, “No taxpayer dollars were used on the zip line project,” was all over the news within a day of our story hitting the presses. But it’s just an accounting bamboozle. And just like that, hiding the commingling of funds dismisses any concern faster than you could zip across the muddy waters of the Colorado. Yet, that’s how they got Trump. Progressives and accounting.

We all know better. Having an extra FREE million to build your building means you have funds loosened up for projects promised to get the cool million.

But no, that didn’t happen with Bonsai, who as I type is in negotiations to have most of the “contract” with our city rescinded, right? Except, of course, the six hundred grand part to buy a gently used zip line, which is the only part it still wants. The city cannot let the Golden Child of the riverfront dream fail. It was Bonsai’s dream, after all.

To finalize an earlier point, I didn’t want the riverfront project to fail; I rather expected it to. Just didn’t see it happening so spectacularly.

Wikipedia describes the art of Bonsai as follows: Purposes of bonsai are primarily contemplation for the viewer, and the pleasant exercise of effort and ingenuity for the grower.

Gotta admit, Bonsai sure was ingenious in the way it’s gotten taxpayer dollars galore. Sadly, the citizens of Grand Junction are only beginning to contemplate what it’s cost them “down by the river.”

In Truth and Freedom.            

Craig Hall is owner and publisher of The Business Times. Reach him at 424-5133 or publisher@thebusinesstimes.com