[{"_1":2,"_87":-5,"_88":-5},"loaderData",{"_3":4,"_26":27},"root",{"_5":6,"_17":10,"_18":19,"_20":21,"_22":10,"_23":-5,"_24":-5,"_25":10},"user",{"_7":8,"_9":10,"_11":10,"_12":-5,"_13":-5,"_14":15,"_16":-5},"roles",[],"isAuthenticated",false,"isPremium","planName","subscriptionStatus","featureFlags",{},"insightsBudget","isDevelopmentHost","userPreferences",{},"recaptchaSiteKey","6LcvOJcUAAAAAHsB-gPGfGktcRlKpH7OTIU_dMTD","isImpersonating","impersonation","affiliateStatus","isFreedomPortal","routes/v2/article/layout",{"_28":29,"_30":31},"notFound",true,"relatedArticles",[32,75],{"_33":34,"_35":36,"_37":38,"_39":40,"_41":42,"_43":44,"_45":46,"_47":48,"_49":50,"_51":52,"_53":54,"_55":56,"_57":58,"_59":60,"_61":62,"_63":64,"_65":66,"_67":68,"_69":70,"_71":68,"_72":73,"_74":73},"mediaId",6221494,"mediaKeyId","3613314-0a3f742019d09286e6604f5efefe07d3","parentId",3613314,"title","Visiting priest details water pumps, sustainable farming projects and postwar challenges in El Salvador","audioSeconds",2584,"startMs",834000,"endMs",3418000,"viewUrl","/Search/View?dp=1&key=3613314-0a3f742019d09286e6604f5efefe07d3&start=834&end=3418","thumbnailUrl","https://assets.pipeline.soar.com/3613314-0a3f742019d09286e6604f5efefe07d3/thumbnail_834000.jpg","articleUrl","/articles/6221494/Missoula/Missoula-County/Montana/Visiting-priest-details-water-pumps-sustainable-farming-projects-and-postwar-challenges-in-El-Salvador","mediaUrl","https://secure.pipeline.soar.com/6221494-b748f00a067ade0f2fda1226e438784b/orig.mp4?Expires=1771207999&Signature=Q1qso-26amHWQS~QX0E2Hln7Bm2h76uqID2Oxo5Ws0MT~u1dN7DVmSBdxWrOBy8KVy5oUQTZHj2gYK7l-V7mW2QU5H5H6jlg5Bd-DHR3ruZeoaniw9ex8DWa7ZdJmmxEzen0xYSflFn44q6gmnhNagR1kJ8WqF-HstWkdaYCJshOzebJu0zFEq77MshsonmeirN9dqwWsYDICXnuX3EFFRzWP679HrWvd4YUZzM3TT5bMSo-n4JcZ~smdKIBE-7OJO9O-My1XCjZMhdnolluA0tvN3R4hfMyzzB08-9dPv5RlOWlpzmx1bhgmx6lvWTULUnXzV8kKgs~b7lrzn77~Q__&Key-Pair-Id=KUT5TJCACFTXG","author","City of Missoula, MT","date","2025-05-30T18:22:52Z","article","Father Chencho Alas, a priest representing the Institute for Technology, the Environment and Self-Sufficiency, described projects he said aim to bolster sustainable agriculture, water access and community self-sufficiency in El Salvador during a public conversation in Missoula.

\"One of the main goals of the institute that I am representing is to do a research about the digital technologies, so how we can innovate new things and transfer them to the people or peasants of women, and thinking about economic sustainability,\" Father Chencho Alas said, summarizing the organization’s goals.

Alas described a low-tech water device his team has promoted, which he called a \"rock pump,\" and said his organization built six of those pumps and brought them to villages. He said the pumps are simple to operate and can provide water even for children; he added that water purification is needed because some wells contain pesticides such as DDT.

Alas said the institute has identified local contamination in shrimp ponds and is using biologists and engineers to research water quality. \"We have 6 professionals,\" he said, naming two engineers and three biologists among staff, and asked for transportation and tools. He said the group lacks a four-wheel-drive pickup and needs a metal shop to scale production of pumps. \"What we need is $49,000,\" he said, describing that amount as required to equip a metal shop to manufacture pumps at larger scale.

Alas also discussed efforts to shift some farmers toward organic coffee production with outside partners in Germany and university collaborators in the United States. He described the transition away from decades of chemical-intensive agriculture as time-consuming and requiring education, comparing it to broader shifts in technology and energy use.

On broader national context, Alas said El Salvador has lived in peace since the 1992 peace accord but remains in a fragile political transition. He noted that in recent months he had heard of killings of former guerrilla commanders and said the army has reappeared on some roads, which he described as psychological pressure ahead of the next election cycle. \"Certainly, the peace accords have brought to us peace,\" he said, \"but now the test squads are active in El Salvador, and they have killed 2 Salvadorian commanders... They have killed 14 more people since July.\" He added that the next elections planned in 1994 will be an important test of the transition.

Alas recounted fundraising and operating details for his organization: an earlier donor family gave $25,000, another $15,000 and a friend $7,000, which enabled purchase of a tractor he said cost $28,000 and a computer for administrative work. He said the institute struggles with limited office resources and asked listeners who could help with tools, transportation or institutional support to contact the group.

Why it matters: The projects described address rural water access, agricultural practices and local economic capacity in communities recovering from conflict. The institute’s requests for equipment, transportation and a metal shop indicate scaling constraints at the operational level; the political remarks point to continuing fragility in El Salvador’s postwar transition.

The transcript contains first-person accounts and project descriptions from Alas; the broadcast did not include on-the-record independent verification of the contamination findings, financial figures or the $49,000 metal-shop estimate. Audience members and prospective funders should verify technical and financial claims with the institute and partner organizations.

","mediaType","Video","parentTitle","McCarthy Coyle, A Public Conversation, Guest Father Jose Cheucho Alas November 9, 1993","oneSentenceSummary","Father Chencho Alas, a priest representing the Institute for Technology, the Environment and Self-Sufficiency, described projects he said aim to bolster sustainable agriculture, water access and community self-sufficiency in El Salvador during a public conversation in Missoula.","taxTitle","Missoula, Missoula County, Montana","taxId",4050,"location","headline","","shortSummary",{"_33":76,"_35":36,"_37":38,"_39":77,"_41":78,"_43":79,"_45":80,"_47":81,"_49":82,"_51":83,"_53":84,"_55":56,"_57":58,"_59":85,"_61":62,"_63":64,"_65":86,"_67":68,"_69":70,"_71":68,"_72":73,"_74":73},6221499,"Host raises neighborhood concerns over Chestnut Street development, questions UM Foundation land sale",280,182000,462000,"/Search/View?dp=1&key=3613314-0a3f742019d09286e6604f5efefe07d3&start=182&end=462","https://assets.pipeline.soar.com/3613314-0a3f742019d09286e6604f5efefe07d3/thumbnail_182000.jpg","/articles/6221499/Missoula/Missoula-County/Montana/Host-raises-neighborhood-concerns-over-Chestnut-Street-development-questions-UM-Foundation-land-sale","https://secure.pipeline.soar.com/6221499-d984bec6ad05a1fa66d7928898e7a520/orig.mp4?Expires=1771207999&Signature=cWCiXi7j5a5MtLoxq2BQGJPei~dJt7mGCI4iHxWgbTqQ316rkUMgu3E4nQHogJ1MED36Bfj682iMabeit7i0NKA9-T5-Q5r~7cy1BVEPMRp8kKGJ2Uzgslg6FhxGhku~UHicRW3AWFGHwQaawz82d3bYDTzdV0T1M3cequXHW3l9~zaGqV35AhmISD~cKiS35tuGu2bjWkGHR7wPikct3OujYhw8VIfbR42uttY8eVcjIHLgb7moe8dmnZdCgcpboYD-aj~bwcurLCZ0Wr8vgHP~xXmQ2XdT4zZp~HPhV1jH2-~~qMG8blMkgDQSrG3~0thQkhnAmpyxJ8HrFPLAJA__&Key-Pair-Id=KUT5TJCACFTXG","McCarty Coyle, host of a public conversation program in Missoula, said Thursday that a recently approved housing project at the foot of Chestnut Street and First Street appears out of scale with the nearby neighborhood and McCormick Park.

\"There's a monstrosity that seems to be rising up at the foot of Chestnut Street, and McCormick Park,\" Coyle said, describing the building and saying it appears \"totally out of proportion\" to what residents had expected after the city planning and council process.

The complaint referred to last year’s Parkside townhouse hearings, in which Coyle said roughly 40 people had spoken against elements of the development. He read a 1992 letter from the builders — signed by Tom Deboni and Jack Meyer and addressed to him — that thanked him for his \"brilliant use of wit and sarcasm\" during those hearings. Coyle said the finished building differs from what the neighborhood believed had been agreed during the approval process.

Coyle also raised questions about the University of Montana Foundation’s plans involving land near Fort Missoula. \"The University of Montana Foundation owns almost 500 acres, which they're planning on selling to some developers,\" he said, noting the reported sale price of about $5,000 per acre for riverfront land. \"That price sounds like an excellent deal to me,\" he said, adding the foundation expects the proceeds to support scholarships.

Why it matters: Neighborhood design and riverfront land use affect local character, housing supply and the distribution of public benefits tied to land sales. Coyle suggested the community should closely review the Foundation’s deal and consider whether portions of any development could include student- or scholarship-linked housing.

Coyle said he was not opposed to some housing at the Chestnut site when the hearings were held, but he had raised concerns about design and accessibility. He urged listeners to look at the new construction and judge whether the project matched the public discussions held during review.

The transcript does not include responses from the developers, the University of Montana Foundation or city planning staff on the record during the program, and no formal city action was taken at the broadcast. Coyle described the Parkside hearings as having generated substantial neighborhood opposition but did not identify specific changes to approvals or conditions that occurred after the hearings.

Local context: The University of Montana Foundation holds land that is part of the city’s riverfront and adjacent to recreational uses; Coyle said the foundation intends to use sales proceeds for scholarships but questioned whether the sale price reflected the land’s market value and whether the deal should be structured to include innovative student housing.

Coyle closed by urging community attention to both the Chestnut Street development and the foundation land sale, suggesting creative housing options could be considered as part of any project.

","During a public conversation in Missoula, host McCarty Coyle criticized a new housing project at Chestnut Street and First Street as out of scale with the neighborhood and called attention to a proposed University of Montana Foundation sale of nearly 500 acres that he said warrants local scrutiny.","actionData","errors"]

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Visiting priest details water pumps, sustainable farming projects and postwar challenges in El Salvador

Host raises neighborhood concerns over Chestnut Street development, questions UM Foundation land sale