Summit County Independence Day events

#Summit County #Colorado

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Parades

It doesn't get much more American than an entertaining parade on Independence Day. This year Summit County will have multiple parades.

Frisco's Fabulous Fourth of July Parade will head down Main Street from Madison Avenue to Sixth Avenue at 12:30 p.m. Before the parade starts, head to the old community center at 110 Third Ave. for the Team Summit Pancake Breakfast from 8–11 a.m. Breakfast tickets are $10 for adults and $5 for kids 8 and under. Visit TownOfFrisco.com to purchase and for float registration.

Breckenridge's Main Street parade officially starts at 10 a.m. with the Red, White and Blue Color Guard and finishes in Blue River Plaza as George Washington, portrayed by C.J. Muller, reads the Declaration of Independence. Visit GoBreck.com to register for the parade.

Fireworks

Due to high fire danger and drought conditions, there are no firework displays in Breckenridge, Frisco or Keystone this year. Additionally, the county is under Stage 2 fire restrictions so any use of fireworks is banned.

Arts and Entertainment

Before the Fourth of July, Keystone Resort is hosting its inagural Stars and Guitars festival. There are many events happening from June 29 to July 4th, such as face painting and s'mores crafting, but a highlight is a concert by The Okee Dokee Brothers on July 1 at noon at the Keytop Overlook Deck. A gondola ticket is required. Visit KeystoneResort.com for the entire lineup and schedule.

On July 3, you can enjoy the Lakeside Village Independence Celebration & BBQ in Keystone from 11 a.m. to 10 p.m. 

On Independence Day, concerts are happening all over so you can participate in festivities alongside a patriotic soundtrack.

Frisco's historic park gazebo on the corner on Second Street and Main Street will have two free concerts. First, the Summit Concert Band will perform from 11 a.m. to noon and MarchFourth will take the stage from 1:30–3:30 p.m. Afterward, Peak Rhythms will host an interactive drum circle on Main Street. Before the fireworks on the reservoir start, guests can visit the Frisco Bay Marina for a free performance by country musician and "American Idol" contestant Matthew Buckstein from 7:15–9:15 p.m.

Rainbow Park in Silverthorne, located at 590 Rainbow Drive, will feature a performance by the National Repertory Orchestra and The Lake Dillon Theatre Company's summer musical company from 10 a.m. to 1:30 p.m. As visitors listen to the music they can enjoy an instrument petting zoo, face painting, bounce houses and other activities. Guests are encouraged to provide their own blankets or chairs and can begin reserving a spot on the lawn at 6 a.m. Visit Silverthorne.org for more information.

At the Dillon Amphitheater on West Lodgepole Street the United States Air Force Academy Concert Band will take the stage at 7 p.m. for a free concert.

Throughout the day in Breckenridge there is a flood of activities. At 9 a.m. the Breckenridge Heritage Alliance hosts a garden party with coffee, mimosas, breakfast and more at the Barney Ford House Museum. After the parade there is the Prowler Car Show and Shine on Adams Avenue from noon to 3 p.m. and a drum circle from 12:30–2:30 p.m. Additionally, the Street Arts Festival will feature murals, games, live music, food, crafts, a pie-eating contest and more at the Arts District Campus.

On the music side, Groove 'M Motion will perform from 2–4 p.m. at the Riverwalk Center at 150 W. Adams Ave. and at the same location the National Repertory Orchestra's patriotic concert begins at 8 p.m. Concertgoers are encouraged to bring their own chairs or blankets though there is reserved indoor seating available to purchase. Visit BreckCreate.org or GoBreck.com for a full schedule.

Kids Events

With school out for the summer and daycares possibly closed for the holiday, kids need their own set of activities to stay busy. Luckily, towns all over Summit County have events planned specially for them.

In the afternoon in Breckenridge, kids can join a water fight on Main Street with the Red, White & Blue Fire Protection District from 1–2:30 or they can ride ponies from 1–3 in front of Blue River Plaza.

In Frisco, kids can start their morning with a fishing derby from 8–11 at Meadow Creek Park, 828 Meadow Drive. The free event is available to children 15 and younger and they must bring their own rods and bait. As larger floats roll through Main Street, kids can show off their creativity with the 18th annual bike parade. Kids 12 and younger should bring their decorated ride to Town Hall's western parking lot at 11:45 a.m. to participate. Visit TownOfFrisco.com.

Keystone will have its own bike parade and fishing derby as well. On July 3, the free derby will take place at 8 a.m. in the Lakeside Village. Unlike the resort's other events, the bike parade is happening on the Fourth of July. At 10:30 a.m. in River Run Village children receive decorations for their bike, tricycle or wagon to participate in the 11 a.m. parade. Visit KeystoneFestivals.com.

Also happening on July 3 in Keystone are a family hike and crafts event at the Kidtopia Headquarters at 10:30 a.m., kite flying at 3 p.m. at the Lakeside Village Gazebo, and a day's worth of activities, such as face painting and balloon artistry, starting at noon at Decatur Field. See KeystoneResort.com for details.

Races

Sure, relaxing with concerts and floats is a perfectly acceptable way to celebrate the holiday but the Fourth of July is also a great time to take advantage of the summer weather with running and bike races.

Independence Day kicks off in Breckenridge with a 10K trail run that starts at 7 a.m. Then, at the start of the parade at 9:30 a.m., the Firecracker 50 mountain bike race on Main Street begins as riders pedal on trails for 50 miles. Visit GoBreck.com to register.

After the Fourth

Just because the holiday is over doesn't mean Summit County goes quiet.

During the rest of the week kids can spend their days playing in Breckenridge's Blue River Plaza Fun Zone and on July 7 the National Repertory Orchestra will perform the score live to a screening of "The Wizard of Oz" at the Riverwalk Center. Visit GoBreck.com for details. From July 6 to 8 the 35th annual Breckenridge July Art Festival happens at Main Street Station on the corner of Main Street and South Park Avenue. See MountainArtFestivals.com for more.

At Copper Mountain from July 7 to 8 there is the Copper Mountain Music Festival featuring bluegrass bands from across America. Check out CopperColorado.com for the full lineup.

In Keystone Village the Big Mountain Enduro 2018 event starts at 8 a.m. and the village will host various activities for participants and spectators until 5 p.m. Visit KeystoneResort.com to register.

Town council gives green light to Peak 8 hotel

#Breckenridge #Colorado

Summit Daily

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The developers seeking to build a four-star hotel along with 50 condominiums at the base of Peak 8 had wanted a 7-0 vote from Breckenridge Town Council on a proposed development agreement with the town. But on Tuesday, they had to settle for passage on first reading with a 6-0 count. The seventh voting council member, Elisabeth Lawrence, elected to support her partner, Ryne Scholl, in his successful bid to win the Democratic primary for county treasurer instead of attending the meeting.

Had Lawrence been there, the developers would have gotten the seventh vote. Earlier in the day during a work session meeting, which Lawrence did attend, she offered her support for the proposal that both developers and town council say sets a new standard for large-scale projects in Breckenridge.

"I do think it raises the bar and sets a new precedent," said Councilwoman Erin Gigliello, echoing the statements of other council members. "I think if we did have this kind of agreement with every development, we wouldn't be facing the housing challenges we are right now."

She was referencing the developers' promise to bring new workforce housing to town with the project, one of a number of public benefits that helped sweeten the deal and earn council's overwhelming support.

The biggest hangup had been an issue of size. Developers have said there's enough room on the parcel of land at the base of Peak 8, where the Vail Resorts administration building currently sits, to build a 300-room hotel, but they wanted to "finish Peak 8 the right way," which for them meant building fewer rooms at a bigger size. The condos, they said, were necessary components to make the project financially viable.

Even Councilman Jeffrey Bergergon, who other council members agree has been the most outspoken critic among them regarding large-scale developments, found himself ready to offer a motion to approve the development agreement Tuesday, a far cry from last February when the developers' first proposed agreement failed without a vote.

"I've been chaining myself to bulldozers for 40 years, and I don't think I've ever made a motion to support a project," Bergeron said. "This is my first one and I think this is going to be good for the community."

Councilwoman Wendy Wolfe had been one of the strongest advocates for understanding and mitigating the social impacts the project. Shortly after the developers' first attempt failed, she laid out three specific line items they needed to do to win her support: The inclusion of new workforce housing, controls to limit traffic impacts on Ski Hill Road, fully vetting the project in the community.

"(Breckenridge Grand Vacations) brought out everyone that could talk to the project and talk to the community as long as the community wanted to talk to them," Wolfe said in reference to two recent open houses and the developers' other outreach efforts regarding the project.

"And that's Breckenridge. That's how we do it here," Wolfe continued. "I was proud to watch that process. I was proud to be a part of that process and I am so happy now to support this project."

At one point during the meeting Mayor Eric Mamula asked for a show of hands from everyone in the gallery who was there to support the hotel. Many went up. Mamula also backed the project with Vail Resorts agreeing to allow the extra density for the Peak 8 project to come off the resort-owned gondola parking lots in town.

With council passing the development agreement on first reading, a special notice will go out alerting people to a public hearing before the development agreement comes up on second reading at the next council meeting on July 10.

Assuming it passes on second reading, the development team of the local timeshare company BGV and the Miami-based real estate investment firm Lionheart Capital will still have to adhere to town code as designs and blueprints are finalized. Also, the project must be approved by the town's planning commission. That's not expected to be a problem with a development agreement allowing the shift of density,

"With all humility and having gone through this process for the better part of a year, I appreciate where we landed with this because I think it's in a really good place," said BGV CEO Michael Dudick. "I love Breckenridge. I'm 30 years deep, and I want to do the right thing … I think that what BGV and Lionheart is doing is setting a new bar for how you go about having a negotiation with the town."

It took the developers multiple attempts to secure passage of the agreement, and town council repeatedly made them adjust the proposal to the town's liking since the deal first emerged last fall. In the end, both the developers and council said they felt good about it.

"None of us took this lightly," Bergeron said of council's efforts. "I think we all did our due diligence. It was good government, and we really kind of worked Michael."

Colorado to host first ice climbing World Cup finals event next February

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Special to the Summit Daily

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Next winter, the International Climbing and Mountaineering Federation will, for the first time, bring a World Cup finals event to this state.

From Feb. 22-24, Denver will serve as the sixth and final host of the 2019 UIAA Ice Climbing World Cup circuit.

It's the first time an ice climbing World Cup event has taken place in Colorado since Durango hosted the first World Cup event of the 2017 circuit in December 2016.

Bozeman, Montana is the only other American city to host such an event since the circuit's inception in 2002, as the town kicked-off the world tours in both 2015 and 2016. In 2002, the province of Quebec becae the only other North American city to host a tour event.

The 2019 calendar for the ice climbing world tour is the biggest to date and includes six World Cup events, four European Cups, a World Championships, a World Combined Championships and a World Youth Championships. The World Tour will visit ten different countries on three continents and features two events taking place in major cities — Moscow and Denver.

The UIAA will provide live streaming from all World Cup and World Championship events, Denver included, as details have yet to be announced. Athlete registration opens Nov. 1.

Next winter, the International Climbing and Mountaineering Federation will, for the first time, bring a World Cup finals event to this state.

From Feb. 22-24, Denver will serve as the sixth and final host of the 2019 UIAA Ice Climbing World Cup circuit.

It's the first time an ice climbing World Cup event has taken place in Colorado since Durango hosted the first World Cup event of the 2017 circuit in December 2016.

Bozeman, Montana is the only other American city to host such an event since the circuit's inception in 2002, as the town kicked-off the world tours in both 2015 and 2016. In 2002, the province of Quebec becae the only other North American city to host a tour event.

The 2019 calendar for the ice climbing world tour is the biggest to date and includes six World Cup events, four European Cups, a World Championships, a World Combined Championships and a World Youth Championships. The World Tour will visit ten different countries on three continents and features two events taking place in major cities — Moscow and Denver.

The UIAA will provide live streaming from all World Cup and World Championship events, Denver included, as details have yet to be announced. Athlete registration opens Nov. 1.

Silverthorne to host its first art festival July 6-7

#Silverthorne #Colorado

Summit Daily

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Silverthorne will host the town's first-ever arts festival, Art on The Blue River, on July 6-7 outside the Silverthorne Performing Arts Center.

"We're excited to bring the art over to this side of the county," said Sydney Schwab, Silverthorne's event coordinator. "The Summit County Arts Council hosts festivals in other places in the county, but this will be their first in Silverthorne."

The festival kicks off on July 6 as part of the town's First Fridays events, designed to showcase what's special about the community, with live music from the Freddy Jones Band from 5-7 p.m. on the outdoor stage at the Silverthorne Performing Arts Center.

The art festival continues Saturday with additional artist experiences and more live musical performances.

Altogether, the festival will feature the original work from 25 different artists, and people will have the opportunity to buy art during the event. The festival is free, but food and drink will be available for purchase both days.

This is billed as a family friendly event, but organizers have pulled a special event liquor license for anyone over 21 who would like to enjoy alcoholic beverages at the festival.

In addition to the Freddy Jones Band, cellist Russick Smith will perform from 3-5 p.m. July 6 and the Broke Down Rodeo band will play from 1-4 p.m. July 7.

The town is working with event sponsor Summit County Arts Council.

For more, Silverthorne.org.

Breckenridge hotel deal re-emerges in second possible development agreement

#Breckenridge #Colorado

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A development agreement for a 150-key, luxury hotel with 50 condominiums at the base of Peak 8 is back on the town council agenda with almost two-dozen community letters in support of the project.

The developers are seeking an agreement with the town that will allow them to proceed with plans to build a four-star, branded hotel and 110,000 square feet of wholly owned condos where a Vail Resorts administration building currently sits. Breckenridge Town Council is expected to take up the proposal Tuesday.

The holdup is a transfer of density. The land comes with enough density rights — a measure of allowable square footage — to build the hotel, but the developers need the additional space to accommodate the condos, which they say make the project financially viable.

Citing fears over potential social impacts of the project, town council rejected a similar proposal in February. Soon after, leaders of the development team, formed in a partnership between Breckenridge Grand Vacations and the Miami-based firm Lionheart Capital, said misunderstandings and miscommunication played major roles in the proposal failing the first go-round and detailed their intent to resubmit this summer.

They've also adjusted the proposed agreement so that instead of having the additional density come from backcountry land, the density would be stripped off the Vail Resorts-owned Gondola parking lots downtown and shifted up to the base of Peak 8.

Along with a number of other legislative items, the proposed development agreement is on the agenda for council's work session. After that, council is scheduled to vote on the proposal during its regular meeting at 7 p.m. According to the agenda packet, council could approve the agreement, deny it or refer it back to the planning commission, which the developers say is not really an option considering they've already gone back to the commissioners once and received a positive review.

"My hope is to have a 7-0 affirmative vote and a lot of community support behind this because I think we're doing the right thing for the community, and I think there's a lot of people who understand the scope and nature of the project and support what we're doing," said Mike Dudick, BGV's owner and CEO, of his desired outcome.

The support he's talking about is detailed throughout 20 letters from BGV employees, local business owners and Breckenridge residents, some of whom have lived here for 20 years or more, all in support of the project. The real estate community is also well represented with high-ranking officials at Slifer Smith & Frampton Real Estate, Coldwell Banker Mountain Properties, Land Title Guarantee Company of Summit County and LIV Sotherby's International Realty lobbying for the project.

Many of the letter-writers, like Jeff Moore, vice president of Slifer Smith & Frampton Real Estate, reference BGV's "very solid track record over the years" and charitable contributions in the community. At the same time, most of the authors also contend a slopeside, luxury hotel is exactly what Breckenridge needs to attract a more affluent clientele.

"Without this type of hotel, we are worried that Breckenridge will not be considered a leading mountain town when compared to other Colorado options," wrote Breckenridge homeowners Mike and Yun Hui Kehoe.

Other letters laud the community benefits promised in the proposed development agreement, including a $125,000 gift for the preservation of Cucumber Gulch. Another benefit would be the creation of a new environmental impact fund dedicated to protecting Cucumber Gulch. It would be fed by a $2 fee charged per night at the hotel for 10 years after it opens.

The agreement also details putting employee-housing restrictions on 20,000 square feet of existing residential units, and Dudick explained on Sunday that BGV has six condos at Beaver Run the company's using to house timeshare guests but is considering turning them into workforce housing.

"We are hyper-focused on understanding workforce-housing issues and being the standard bearer of employers in this community for how we should solve these issues," he said. "No one should doubt BGV and our mission (with workforce housing)."

The developers also propose giving approximately 1,500 square feet at the base of Peak 8 to the Breckenridge Outdoor Education Center, in addition to limiting the height of the hotel project to the elevation of One Skill Hill Place, abandoning Saw Mill Run Road and enlisting the Breckenridge Mountain Master Association's shuttle service to offset any traffic on Ski Hill Road above anticipated traffic counts.

For David Nicoli, a Breckenridge homeowner, it's a "very attractive and reasonable proposal that will benefit our wonderful community." In his letter Nicoli wrote he likes Vail Resorts agreeing to shift density from the Gondola parking lots so there's no net increase in the amount of density alloted in town, and the workforce-housing components of the project are a big plus.

With the local company working as the developer, Nicoli believes that BGV "will have to live with the results" while expressing his fear over what could happen if another group were to develop the parcel, a reference to what developers have described as "worst-case scenario," in which someone builds a hotel with up to 300 rooms, only smaller ones, but none of the community benefits.

Another Breckenridge resident, Shawn Yancey, echoed many of the same sentiments but added: "As designed and presented, I believe the proposed BGV/Lionheart development fills this void in the town while providing more community benefits than any approved project in recent history … I know that development in our wonderful community can sometimes be controversial and contentious. But I don't think that needs to be the case here. BGV has listened to our community and has put forth a thoughtful and generous proposal that will make Breckenridge an even greater place to live and visit than it already is."

Men’s teams named for Colorado Classic cycling race; Eagle-Vail local Cristhian Ravelo is in

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Fifteen of the sport's top international and domestic men's pro cycling teams, with racers who are hometown heroes and Colorado fan favorites, will compete in the second annual Colorado Classic in August, race officials announced on Thursday.

The lineup includes four UCI World Tour teams, five UCI Professional Continental squads, five UCI Continental teams and features the return of the national Team Rwanda Cycling.

"We are excited to have such a competitive field — including four World Tour teams — for the second annual Colorado Classic," said David Koff, CEO of RPM Events Group, the organization which puts on the race. "With increased demand for teams from a crowded international race calendar, our ability to attract high-caliber teams is a true testament to Colorado's attraction as a world class cycling destination."

SIX DIFFERENT NATIONS

The four-day Colorado Classic takes place Aug. 16-19 and will bring men's cycling teams from six different nations to compete in Vail and Denver.

Teams announced include:

UCI WORLD TEAMS

Team EF Education First-Drapac P/B Cannondale (USA)

Trek-Segafredo (USA)

Mitchelton-Scott (AUS)

Team LottoNL-Jumbo (NED)

UCI PROFESSIONAL CONTINENTAL TEAMS

Hagens Berman Axeon (USA)

Holowesko|Citadel P/B Arapahoe Resources (USA)

Israel Cycling Academy (ISR)

UnitedHealthcare Professional Cycling Team (USA)

Rally Cycling (USA)

UCI CONTINENTAL TEAMS

Aevolo (USA)

Elevate-KHS Pro Cycling (USA)

Jelly Belly P/B Maxxis (USA)

Silber Pro Cycling (CAN)

303 Project (USA)

NATIONAL TEAMS

Team Rwanda Cycling (RWA)

A comparably elite field of women's teams will be announced in the coming weeks as organizers of the professional bike race continue their efforts to advance women's cycling alongside the men in Colorado's annual showcase of the sport.

RAVELO IS IN

Though team rosters won't be announced until later this summer, Colorado cycling fans should find several familiar faces in the men's field. Team EF Education First-Drapac P/B Cannondale includes Taylor Phinney — son of Colorado cycling royalty Davis Phinney and Connie Carpenter Phinney — and teammate Alex Howes, of Golden, (third place overall in the Colorado Classic in 2017). Sepp Kuss, of Durango, is one of two Americans on LottoNL-Jumbo, and Trek-Segafredo includes 2016 national champion Greg Daniel, of Denver.

Highlights from the UCI Pro Continental lineup include local racer Cristhian Ravelo, of Eagle-Vail, who races with the 303 Project out of Denver. Ravelo, 25, said his goal in 2018 has been making it to the Colorado Classic to race in front of the hometown fans who have supported him so much throughout his career. Other UCI Pro Continental highlights include UCI American Tour powerhouses Rally Cycling and UnitedHealthcare; and Holowesko-Citadel, home to free-spirited TJ Eisenhart (fourth in 2017) from Utah.

FOUR STAGES

The Colorado Classic is sanctioned by Union Cycliste Internationale and designated as a 2.HC race — the highest category outside of World Tour races — promising a strong international field. The Colorado Classic is also part of the USA Cycling Pro Road Tour, which showcases the premier domestic road events in the United States.

The men's race will cover roughly 245 miles over four stages.

Stage 1 will be the Vail Village Circuit on Thursday, Aug. 16; Stage 2 will be the Vail Pass Mountain Time Trial on Friday, Aug. 17; Stage 3 will be a Denver to Lookout Mountain out-and-back on Saturday, Aug. 18; and Stage 4 will be a Denver City Park circuit on Sunday, Aug. 19.

"Drawing a high-caliber field to Colorado is helped by the state's deep history with bike racing, the quality of courses and the passion of cycling fans," said race director Jim Birrell. "The Colorado Classic is building on that to create a race that will be memorable for spectators and teams alike."

Women's racing at the Colorado Classic expands from two to four stages in 2018, with routes similar to the men's race.

For more information, please visit ColoradoClassic.com.

Months of preparing for June exercise helped Summit County fight Buffalo Mountain Fire

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June 21 had a big red circle around it on Summit County's calendar for about six months.

Brian Bovaird, director of Summit County's Office of Emergency Management, was hired back in January. One of the first action items he planned was a full-scale wildfire training exercise in Silverthorne for June.

Bovaird had never managed a wildfire before. It was important to him to make sure he and the rest of the county emergency response machine were prepped and well-oiled heading into wildfire season.

The exercise, now canceled because of the actual fire last week, would have seen most local emergency agencies deployed to run through a wildfire scenario to practice and test the county's coordination and response. It would test the county's response times, coordination, communication, logistics and fitness to deal with a wildfire near a dense residential subdivision.

The subdivision in the scenario happened to be the Mesa Cortina neighborhood, and the mock fire was supposed to start about 100 yards from the exact spot where last week's Buffalo Mountain Fire broke out. The eerie similarities don't end there.

"The way we mapped it out time-wise, it also broke out about eight minutes off from how when we planned to start running the scenario," Bovaird said. "We planned to start the scenario at 11 a.m. and it actually started at 10:52 a.m. The timing of our actual response was also pretty much in line with how it was sketched out."

Summit Fire and EMS Chief Jeff Berino said he'd never experienced such a weird coincidence play out in his 38 years of firefighting.

"We've had instances where an actual emergency was similar to mock ones, but nothing that similar in terms of proximity and timing," Berino said. "That exact neighborhood — Mesa Cortina — we were supposed to simulate evacuating today, and we wound up having to actually do it a week early."

The six months preparing for the scenario turned out to be incredibly useful for the real fire last week.

For example, months ago Bovaird anticipated the need for efficient messaging between the Emergency Operations Center, where the emergency response is coordinated; the Joint Information Center, which relays timely information to the public; and 911 dispatch, which would handle calls for help from the public and dispatch emergency assets. Communication networks and plans were drawn up accordingly.

Those plans worked out beautifully during the big, bad live show last week.

"By getting those pieces working together ahead of time, the fire response went a lot smoother," Bovaird said, adding that without the preparation, the response might have been a lot rockier.

"It definitely would have caused more confusion to the public, because they wouldn't have had that timely, efficient information they needed to get out safely," Bovaird said. "If we didn't plan to have Emergency Ops take over public messaging and take the load off 911, it could have hindered 911 dispatch's ability to take calls or deploy assets to where they needed to be."

From the firefighting end, Berino said that the tabletop planning for a fire in Mesa Cortina certainly came to life last week.

"The tabletop got us in the mindset of how to address a fire near those subdivisions, and increased our awareness of tactical challenges in that area," Berino said. "We've known about what we needed to do to keep that area safe."

Berino gave two key examples of how that wound up working in practice.

"I knew that we'd need a big air show," Berino said. "We just don't have enough boots on the ground or resources in the county to have made it up there and respond effectively and in time, so calling in air support early was critical."

Sure enough, Berino called in a rapid, overwhelming air response, and it was an essential reason why flames didn't touch any buildings or people.

Berino also said that fire teams studied access routes in Mesa Cortina during the tabletop. By doing so, they were able to anticipate the need to turn one of the roads into an evacuation route, with another used exclusively for emergency assets getting to the fire.

Again, the routes drawn on maps back in May became the actual evacuation routes used during the fire, with emergency responders using Royal Buffalo Drive to get to the fire while evacuees used the Wildernest and Ryan Gulch roads to get out.

"The preparation really paid off," Berino concluded.

When Bovaird was asked about what it was like to deal with his first wildfire in this manner, so similar to what he envisioned, he said that "surreal" was a good word to use.

"It was pretty surreal, and pretty humbling too," Bovaird said. "A wildfire is so different from everything else, from all the coordination and pre-existing arrangements and different interagency activities. It was humbling to experience and learn from."

Bovaird said that the fact that no structures were destroyed and no injuries reported was a big win for the county's emergency response team, but that the Summit is definitely not resting on any supposed laurels.

"It's a huge testament to the system we already have in place," he said. "Even though things went well, we are certainly going to take a deep dive studying our actions and where we can improve. That will be an important part of the process going forward."

The county is expected to analyze the emergency response and present an after-action report on the fire in early August.

Developer breaks ground on first wave of construction for The New Seasons at Keystone

#Keystone #Colorado

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Keystone has new condominiums on the market for the first time in perhaps as many as 16 years.

The New Seasons at Keystone, a set of four buildings with 32 condos on a small hill above the Snake River and Lakeside Village, stands as the next step in a local development project that dates back to almost the turn of the century, but hasn't seen any new construction in well over a decade.

As developers broke ground at the site on Monday, beside the banks of the Snake River and just steps away from a plethora of shopping and dining opportunities at Keystone's Lakeside Village, they struggled to contain their excitement.

"It's a beautiful day and I'm feeling a lot of gratitude," said Michael O'Sullivan, president of the Seasons Development Group and owner of Buckhead Renovations.

His children attended the ceremony with him, and after thanking a long list of people and agencies that have helped move the project along, O'Sullivan said that after six months of work, "This is only the beginning."

Overall, The New Seasons at Keystone is conservatively described as a $25 million project, and the first wave of new condos — two buildings housing 16 units — represents about $9.8 million of that total.

"To say I'm excited about this really doesn't express my emotion," added Amy Nakos, the managing broker at Your Castle Summit who's been working as the lead sales representative on the project. "I'm ecstatic. This is super exciting to get to the point where we are embarking on building new units."

Nakos knows there's been a significant amount of new construction at Keystone as of late. However, based on everything she's been able to gather, The New Seasons will produce the first condos at Keystone since perhaps 2002, when building permits for the original Seasons at Keystone were approved.

All of the condos in the River Run Village were done in the late 1990s, Nakos added, but nailing down exactly what's a condo and when it was built isn't quite as concrete as pouring a foundation.

The Settler's Creek Townhomes, for example, were permitted in 2006 and 2007. They're listed as condos by the county, but as the name suggests, the accommodations could easily be described as townhomes, too. Still, aside from Settler's Creek Townhomes, there's been no new condos at Keystone since the original Seasons project, Nakos said.

Regardless of exactly when the last ones went up, it's been a longtime coming since any real estate agents have had new condos on their lineup of available listings.

Furthermore, the New Seasons at Keystone comes at an opportune time. Officials at the Summit County Assessor's Office project in May that Keystone condos could see a roughly 40 percent increase in value when the office wraps up its two-year data collection period at the end of this month.

In 2002, The Seasons at Keystone was built in a partnership of Intrawest Development and Vail Resorts. They never finished the project, which called for 40 additional units, however, and the land sat untouched until Vail Resorts decided to sell it last year to the Seasons Development Group, a largely family-owned business formed in a partnership with Michael and Dan O'Sullivan and Nick Hoffman.

Local property records show the Seasons Development Group bought the land for $3 million and closed the deal in April. A team of real estate brokers from Your Castle Summit, headed by Nakos, has been tasked with handling the sales, some of which have already been made.

Explaining the rollout, Nakos said the first wave will deliver two buildings with 16 condo units, and they're expected to be ready for move-ins sometime in mid- to late-2019. With the units, potential buyers can choose from one-, two- and three-bedroom floor plans, ranging in price from $419,000 to $829,000. Other options include upstairs lofts and vaulted kitchen ceilings on the upper-level units and a variety of finishes.

After those units have been built, attention will turn to The New Seasons at Keystone's second release, three more buildings with 24 additional condos on land at the intersection of Lake View Circle and Keystone Road, bringing the overall scope of the New Seasons project up to five buildings with 40 new condos by the time it's all said and done.

Nakos said the second wave of the project is still in the planning phases, and could change as it continues to take shape, but O'Sullivan believes the second wave of new condos should be ready by late-2020 or early 2021.

An on-site sales center is now open. Hours are by appointment only, but potential buyers can schedule times to visit the condos and see the different finishes and floor plans.

For more information, go to NewSeasonsAtKeystone.com or find them on Facebook.

Breckenridge wants to know: Would you sign up for ‘screaming-fast’ internet for $99 a month?

#Breckenridge #Colorado

Summit Daily

Summit Daily Link

Breckenridge's newest survey is relatively quick and an easy one to take, but the underlying question — what's the best way to deliver blazing-fast internet in town? — isn't so straightforward.

The survey asks respondents first for an address so the town can identify which neighborhood they live in, such as Wellington East, Wellington West, French Gulch and so on. Soon after, the survey seeks to gauge how likely someone would be to sign up for a fiber optic internet connection with speeds up to 1 gigabyte per second for $99.95 a month.

"With iFIBER Internet you will be on the fastest internet in Colorado," reads a brief description of the hypothetical package. "Shop, surf and stream like never before. Save time and money with our Gig (1,000 Mbps) connection. No datacaps or overage charges. Pure high-speed fiber."

That price is obviously preliminary, said Brian Waldes, the town's director of finance, as the question is really meant to gather information and give people a general idea of what "screaming-fast" fiber packages could look like.

Other survey questions ask residents to describe their internet needs, what the town could do to encourage participation in fiber optic broadband and what residents think are the most important aspects of internet access, suggesting cost, reliability, speed, customer service and no long-term contracts as a few possible answers.

The town has been pursuing a feasibility study regarding running fiber optic cable to every business and home in Breckenridge and entered into an agreement worth $129,000 with Foresite Group to complete this study. That money covers the survey, town mapping, designing a network, building a business model and bringing in other partners like iFIBER, Waldes said.

In March, the mapping of Breckenridge's neighborhoods — called "Fiberhoods" — was completed, and about a month later town staff unveiled the project's communications and marketing plan.

The plan came with a timeline for various communication efforts, as well as the informational webpages. The community survey is part of the webpage rollout. At the same time, Foresite Group has reportedly been making progress on network designs and potential business models.

But not everyone is keen on the idea, and Todd Ruelle, a part-time resident since 1978, is critical of the town for what he describes as "moving beyond its core competency."

After working as the marketing director at Beaver Run Resort, Ruelle went on to become a founding member of MCI Communications, which played a key role in the breakup of AT&T before MCI Communications was bought by Verizon in 2006. Since then, Ruelle has worked for a number of tech-based companies, and like the Foresite Group, one of the companies Ruelle now represents also submitted a broadband proposal after the town put out a request last summer.

Explaining his problems with fiber in Breckenridge, Ruelle said he sees a trend in the telecommunications industry where major companies like Verizon and Google have largely abandoned efforts to advance fiber optic cables in favor of wireless technologies.

"If this made sense (for Breckenridge)," he continued, "Verizon would be doing it; Century Link would be doing it, but they aren't … For the town to think they can do this when the people in the business aren't, that should tell you something."

Additionally, Ruelle has some questions of his own about the potential cost, wire line connectivity and why Breckenridge isn't looking into wireless solutions such as 5G technology, which produces "fiber-like speeds" and is being tested now.

With roughly 5,000 residents, he contends that people who don't own property, part-time residents or anyone making lower-tier wages would be a hard sell for fiber and "the numbers aren't there." Most basically, Ruelle thinks a project like this would need a population of at least 25,000 to pay for itself.

"That's the issue," Ruelle said. "It's the RPU — that means revenue per user — and there's just not enough RPU."

Responding to some of Ruelle's concerns, Waldes noted that Breckenridge, with its heavy influx of tourists, is not the average town of 5,000. Furthermore, Waldes said the community desperately needs "high-speed broadband, regardless of who owns the infrastructure."

"We're also aware of the population," he added. "That's a challenge, but we're taking a serious look at it, and we believe we can do it. That's why we're going down this road."

Waldes can see numerous applications for fiber far beyond the initial connections, and he readily admitted the town doesn't have all the answers right now. He also said he too is concerned about some of the same questions posed by Ruelle, but the potential for fiber optic broadband internet service exists here and it's worth studying. Take the survey at TownOfBreckenridge.ServiceZones.net/.

Several staffers who left Denver Post forming new online news site on the blockchain platform

#Colorado

Summit Daily

Summit Daily Link

 Several staffers who left The Denver Post amid budget and staff cuts made by the newspaper's New York-based hedge fund owners are forming a new online news site called The Colorado Sun.

Co-founding editor Larry Ryckman, a former senior editor at The Post, tells Colorado Public Radio he wants to "do journalism that people value."

Ryckman says he was approached by a group called Civil, a startup that wants to test a unique blockchain system for sustaining journalism. Colorado Sun readers will be able to buy virtual tokens in the wider Civil community of publications to financially support and influence what is covered.

Civil says the arrangement would decentralize ownership, and rules would be in place to make sure one person can't secure total control of publications. The Colorado Sun could launch as early as July.