Ron Wright to lead Rock Ledge LHA

       Ron Wright is getting pretty neighborly.
       Not only has he been serving as vice president of the Pleasant Valley Neighborhood Association, he recently became the volunteer leader at Rock Ledge Ranch, which is located in the Garden of the Gods, just north of the Pleasant Valley subdivision.
       As president of the ranch's Living History Association (LHA) friends group, Wright will help market the historic, city-owned, 1880s-style working ranch to the public and to city officials. He will also donate his own old-timey know-how - particularly in leathercraft and meat butchering - when needed.
       His main goal is to keep the facility thriving. “The ranch is a jewel that cannot be replaced, a place where the old generation can show kids where their roots came from,” said the retired city firefighter and longtime Westside resident. “But a good part of Colorado Springs people, like those out on Powers Boulevard, don't know it exists.”
       The 220-acre facility started its 28th season June 4, and will be open Wednesdays through Sundays, as well as for some special events, through Labor Day.
       Wright's election by the LHA makes him president for two years, with an option for a third.
       He thinks that being from Pleasant Valley makes him a good fit for the position. “We (Pleasant Valley and Rock Ledge) are neighbors and work together,” he said. “It's a good marriage.”
       To help ensure the ranch's viability, Wright wants to build up membership in the LHA. Consisting of about 100 people, the group helps in numerous ways, including ensuring that historically dressed volunteer docents - ages 10 and up -man various sites within the ranch on days when the facility is open to the public.
       In a similar regard, he'd like the city to consider hiring help for ranch manager Andy Morris, a city employee. “There's only one other (full-time paid) person,” he said. As a result, it's a struggle to take care of all the work that needs to be done, he noted.
       He knows the city doesn't have a money tree, but the ranch does earn money from admissions during the summer and from special events, and he thinks the city ought to consider letting Rock Ledge keep any money it earns, instead of turning it in to the city's general fund, as happens now.
       Another concern for Wright is that some people are not keeping their dogs within the boundaries of the dog run between 30th Street and the ranch. One dog recently got onto ranch property and chased a sheep into a pond, Wright said.

Westside Pioneer article