“Colorado Experience” Road Show rolls into Breckenridge with episodes about Ute people, women miners

#Breckenridge #Colorado

Courtesy Colorado Experience

Summit Daily News Link

The producers of Rocky Mountain PBS’s highest-rated, locally produced TV show, “Colorado Experience,” are coming to Colorado Mountain College-Breckenridge today for a free presentation of two episodes.

Doors open at 6:30 p.m., and the presentation begins at 7 p.m., Organizers say it is a first for Summit County.

“Colorado Experience” is an Emmy-winning series featuring half-hour episodes produced by Rocky Mountain PBS and History Colorado. The TV show explores everything from the colorful characters to the historic happenings that helped shape the Centennial State.

Presented in a quick-paced, educational format, previous episodes have detailed the influence of the KKK in Colorado, explored old courthouses and exposed the extravagant lives of the state’s most famous love triangle.

The two features on tap for today include “The Original Coloradans,” which is about the Ute people, who inhabited the high mountain valleys for centuries before the arrival of gold prospectors and settlers; and “Ladies of the Mines,” which tells the story of conditions for women in the high-altitude mining camps at the end of the 19th century.

Three local organizations — CMC, the Breckenridge Heritage Alliance and Summit Public Radio and TV — have come together to host this evening’s event, each with their own specific reasons for doing so, according to a news release. CMC history professor Jeremy Deem will utilize one of the episodes about the Ute people as part of his curriculum on American Indian History, while the Breckenridge Heritage Alliance expands its outreach by sharing the episode featuring women in the early mining days and Summit Public Radio & TV aims to provide quality programming in the area.

Producers from the show will be on hand to introduce the episodes and guide discussion afterward.

Additionally, there will be door prizes, and SPRTV is donating a retro-inspired radio while the heritage alliance is offering a historic tour.

“Colorado Experience” airs at 7 p.m. on Thursday nights.

Dillon town council to vote on flow-control ordinance, grant funding for amphitheater at regular meeting

#Dillon #Colorado

Summit Daily News Link

The Dillon Town Council will hold its first regular meeting of the month on Tuesday, Feb. 7 at 7p.m. at town hall.

A trash flow control ordinance that would designate the Summit County Resource Allocation Park as the exclusive disposal site for all waste collected in the town is up for second reading.

The ordinance, which is intended to help shore up SCRAP’s finances and help protect recycling services, has been approved by the board of county commissioners and is likely to pass in Breckenridge and Frisco. The Dillon town council approved the ordinance on first reading in January on a 5-2 vote.

Silverthorne is likely to remain the sole holdout. Councilmembers there have argued that mandating where haulers can dump trash is an undue interference in the free market that would negatively impact competition.

Also on the agenda is a resolution to apply for a $1 million grant from the Colorado Department of Local Affairs intended to close a budget gap on the town’s amphitheater remodel project. The town council has approved the use of $5,985,000 for the extensive project and has secured a $5,000,000 loan.

Additionally, there will be a public hearing regarding the town’s comprehensive plan, a non-binding document drafted by the Planning and Zoning Commission that is intended to guide the town’s decision-making.

The new document is intended to reflect the “community’s desire to increase the number and mix of residential uses in the town with a focused effort on providing high-quality housing for year-round residents and the workforce of the community.”

Summit County firms up flow-control ordinance to save community recycling

#Summit County #Colorado

Courtesy Timberline Disposal

Summit Daily News Link

The proposed county flow-control ordinance to help maintain free public recycling has now been passed by the Board of County Commissioners and appears set for final approvals from three of the four towns in the next two weeks.

The three-member county board gave final approval of Ordinance No. 2A, a 17-page directive to area trash haulers regarding the collection, transportation and disposal of sold waste, on Jan. 24. The towns of Breckenridge and Frisco both initially passed the mandate requiring the county’s landfill also be the exclusive drop-off location for trash produced within their respective boundaries that same evening, with Dillon the first among them to pass introduction of the ordinance on Jan. 17. Breckenridge unanimously offered its stamp of approval, while Dillon and Frisco both relied on 5-2 voting majorities in favor.

Each town council must now pass the solid waste decree on second reading for it to become official. Dillon’s next meeting is Feb. 7 and the council will discuss the proposal’s merits during a work session starting at 4:45 p.m. Breck and Frisco have a follow-up vote scheduled for each council’s regularly scheduled Feb. 14 meeting.

“This helps to ensure the viability of our landfill, as well as recycling operations,” said county manager Scott Vargo. “We all know that there are other challenges in part with how recycling is funded and the amount of waste that does not get diverted from landfills. We need to continue efforts long-term surrounding recycling and work toward zero-waste goals at the landfill.”

“We all know that there are other challenges in part with how recycling is funded and the amount of waste that does not get diverted from landfills. We need to continue efforts long-term surrounding recycling and work toward zero-waste goals at the landfill.”Scott VargoSummit County manager

Silverthorne is the lone holdout among the towns. Members of its council previously noted a number of concerns about the ordinance, including how it may impact free-market competition. As a result, the town’s governing assembly has no plans to include such a motion on an upcoming meeting agenda, meaning all trash picked up within its limits can still be taken to whichever site haulers prefer.

The community-wide issue boiled over this past October when county government staff was crunching numbers in anticipation of passing its next fiscal year budget. The county estimated that a decision by local hauler Timberline Disposal, LLC, in June to take trash to a proprietary transfer facility in Silver Plume for eventual drop-off on the Front Range drained coffers $500,000 over a six-month period. Expectations were that if nothing changed, the county could be staring down more than $1 million in lost revenues at the landfill for 2017, which directly impacts money earmarked to offset the expense of running the free recycling program.

Faced with rising costs from heightened fees for entry to unload trucks at the Summit County Resource Allocation Park, or SCRAP, north of Keystone, Timberline said it constructed the $2 million Silver Plume station. Truck contents were then sent down to the metro area to take advantage of lower entry fees, as well as offer the company a consistent locale to empty trucks after hours, or when the SCRAP was closed for holidays. Despite several meetings, Timberline and the county remain at odds over the flow-control ordinance.

“It’s too bad when the government feels it has to — because the landfill and its operations are losing money — affect our business through this regulation,” said Larry Romine, Timberline’s COO. “The county shouldn’t be stepping in and forcing us to do something to help their bottom line that affects our bottom line.”

Also Timberline’s co-owner, Romine acknowledged that some planned adjustments at the SCRAP following meetings with all of Summit’s haulers were welcome changes. For now, the ordinance is scheduled to go into effect on April 1, and fees should drop from $60 to $58 for compacted residential trash, and from $78 to $70 on all construction waste. Operating hours are also supposed to be extended to 6 a.m. to 6 p.m. Monday through Saturday instead of the current 7 a.m. to 5 p.m., Monday through Friday, and 7 a.m. to 1 p.m. on Saturday. As another new condition, when the SCRAP has its gates down, for holidays or the occasional state-mandated wind or lightning closure, haulers may take garbage anywhere they like.

Still, said Romine, that avoids addressing the larger matter of how the county’s business model functions, using money generated at the landfill to cover the growing cost of maintaining complimentary public recycling. After years of holding off on service increases, he also anticipates hikes for customers shortly after the ordinance takes effect, given his business’s own increased fees from the inability to use his Silver Plume transfer center as much.

“The improvements at the landfill are still going to cost the county more to operate it,” he said, “and they’re already kind of in the red. Something has to happen, because it’s not working how it is. They all know they can’t continue to operate free (recycling) drop-off centers.”

Though the county also admits a fresh solution will eventually need to be found for dealing with the overall waste stream, that’s exactly what it intends to continue doing moving forward. Acting on the assumption that those town ordinances will be approved, the drop-off sites in Breckenridge and Frisco have been maintained beyond a prior Jan. 31 deadline, and early discussions have also been had with Dillon to expand a small operation run by the town.

“This is not at all unique to Summit County, and is something faced by jurisdictions around the country,” said Vargo. “There will need to be significant changes at the local, state and national levels for us to be able to accomplish improved waste diversion. We can’t keep burying trash, is really the bottom line.”

Siri on the slopes: 7 mobile apps made for skiers and snowboarders

#Colorado

Special to the Daily

Summit Daily News Link

Winter sports have gone digital. But is that a good thing?

In “Brave New World,” a 1931 fiction that’s becoming more and more realistic every year, author Aldous Huxley imagines a future where men and women are slaves to the machines and technology they created. It’s not “Terminator”-style slavery — Huxley didn’t go as far as a nuclear apocalypse — but instead it’s willing slavery, something eerily similar to our modern-day love affair with smartphones and Snapchat and apps upon apps.

No matter what you think about “Brave New World” and its warnings, the best mobile apps honestly make life in the mountains easier and more accessible, especially if you’re new to this big, snowy playground called Summit County.

Vail Resorts launched Epic Mix in 2010 and changed the resort game by adding pins, chairlift wait times and, of course, vertical tracking. Less than a decade later, folding paper maps have given way to in-house apps at just about every major resort. Skiers and snowboarders now have real-time terrain updates, activity trackers and even seductive electronic narrators (a la Siri) that serenade about snowfall and upcoming events. How’s that for a brave new world?

Before bundling up for your next adventure — blues or blacks, backcountry or lift lines, skis or snowshoes — here’s a look at seven mobile apps made for mountain town living and playing. Just remember to put the phone down every so often and enjoy the real reason you’re here: to get away from it all.

| FOR BACKCOUNTRY JUNKIES |

CAIC

Platforms: iOS and Android

In a nutshell: Daily updates on avalanche conditions and observations from 10 zones across Colorado.

In the past five years, the Colorado Avalanche Information Center has stepped up its game in response to the booming popularity of backcountry travel. The state office has added more forecasters, more zones and, in one of the best moves yet, an incredibly useful mobile app for daily avalanche and terrain conditions.

The app is clean and ridiculously simple to use. The home screen features a color-coded map of the state split into 10 zones, each with different colors for real-time avy danger: green for low, yellow for moderate, orange for considerable, red for high and black for extreme. Find your local zone in the pull-down menu for an in-depth, ground-level report from forecasters in that area. The daily reports are wonderfully detailed, with a summary, aspect graphs, and extended discussion with photos and more.

There’s also a tab to submit observations of avy conditions in the field — a truly collaborative feature that benefits everyone. If you see a slide, send the photos and details here before posting all over Facebook.

Cost: Free

SURVEYOR TOOLS FREE

Platform: Android

In a nutshell: Quickly ID the angle, altitude and elevation of a backcountry slope with real-time video.

It’s backcountry shorthand everyone should know: slopes between 30 and 45 degrees are the danger zone. But how do you know if a tantalizing face is in the zone without a theodolite, the hefty machinery land surveyors use to measure angles?

Welcome to Surveyor Tools Free, an app that pairs your smartphone camera with on-screen measurements for angles and more. Simply launch the app and line it up with your intended slope. The app then takes info from the camera and converts it into useful data, including angle degrees. It takes some practice for laymen to get the hang of it, but your life is worth a few extra minutes. Search “surveyor tools” in the Apple Store for similar iOS apps.

Cost: Free

FATMAP 3D

Platforms: iOS and Android

In a nutshell: An interactive 3-D map for resort and backcountry terrain, including topo info, access gates and detailed data.

Launched in Europe in 2013, FATMAP 3D made its North American debut last season with maps for Keystone Resort, Vail and a handful of other resorts. Just one season later, developers have added a whopping 80-plus maps to the app, from big boys like Beaver Creek and Telluride to Wolf Creek and the Loveland Pass backcountry. Every Summit County ski hill is included, along with the majority of Colorado resorts.

FATMAP 3D is made for backcountry nerds, by backcountry nerds, and the amount of info included with every map is almost overwhelming. The coolest feature by far is the topographical 3-D mapping: like Google Earth, pinch, pull, zoom and swipe across the screen to see every gully, glade and cliff band on your route. At the resorts, every run is listed with length, difficulty, nearby lifts and terrain features.

Because there’s so much going on here, FATMAP is best used for trip planning — not field navigating. It launched for free with all features, but the battery-saving downloadable map option is now $29.99 per year. Try the free streaming option at home on WiFi before coughing up the cash.

Cost: Free for streaming, $29.99 annual for downloadable maps

| FOR POWDER HOUNDS |

OPEN SNOW

Platforms: iOS, Android, Windows

In a nutshell: The go-to source for snowfall forecasts across the nation and, soon enough, the globe.

Joel Gratz is known as the “Powder Prophet,” and with good reason. The Front Range forecaster launched a blog several years ago to predict powder days at his favorite Colorado resorts, and since then Open Snow has exploded to become everyone’s favorite powder-day planner.

Gratz still writes the daily forecasts for Colorado, which include a brief summary of the best days and locations for powder, along with an extended discussion of his forecast. It’s interesting to read through Gratz’s thought process, especially when he’s good at predicting the storms everyone else misses. Like scary good.

Cost: Free for basic app, $19 annual for All-Access Pass with 10-day forecasts and more

| FOR NORDIC SKIERS |

TRAILHUB

Platforms: iOS and Android

In a nutshell: Real-time trail and terrain info for a slew of activities, including Nordic skiing and hiking.

Like FATMAP 3D for Nordic skiers, TrailHub is a great resource for trip planning and trail conditions. It features more than 25 activities — winter and summer, from hiking and trail running to disc golf and horseback riding — and includes the basics for each activity hotspot: how to get there, where to park, number of trails, nearby attractions and more. The map feature isn’t as detailed as FATMAP, but it doesn’t have to be for local clients like the Frisco Nordic Center. Just search “Nordic-AT-Backcountry” on the home screen and the app loads up-to-date info on trails and more.

The one downside: It seems like the app developers work with partners, and so only Nordic centers and other attractions affiliated with TrailHub are included. There is no info for Gold Run Nordic, Breckenridge Nordic or Keystone Cross-Country (yet), and info for Tennessee Pass Nordic and Granby Ranch weren’t updated as of early February. But if Frisco is on your to-do list, don’t leave home without loading this first.

Cost: Free

| FOR NEW FRIENDS |

GOCIETY

Platform: iOS

In a nutshell: A Colorado-born platform made to connect outdoor junkies with other outdoor junkies.

In 2011, Gociety entered the Apple Store market with a simple concept: skiers, snowboarders and everyone else who plays outside (call it the tribe) love finding other people to play with. Since then, the app has been downloaded tens of thousands of times by folks who fit the mold of Colorado thrill seeker. It’s also expanded to dozens of markets across the country, making it easy to find one or two (or more) friends with a platform that’s a cross between Facebook and Tinder for platonic buddies.

Gociety is still an iOS-only app, but the company’s get-togethers are open to anyone. They host events throughout the year, from demo days to ski trips to pub-crawls, and the schedule is updated through the app. If you don’t own an iPhone, just make friends with someone who does, and then make friends with their tribe.

Cost: Free

| FOR CHAIRLIFT DATERS |

LUVBYRD

Platforms: iOS and Android

In a nutshell: Like Tinder for outdoorsy types.

It seems like there’s a Tinder knockoff for anyone these days: Christian Mingle for churchgoers, Bumble for ladies who make the first move, even High There! for cannabis users.

LuvByrd is the chairlift answer to Tinder. It does away with mindless swiping and instead pairs users based on the outdoor activities they like: snowboarding, surfing, photography, rock climbing and dozens more. The activities, photos and brief blurbs appear when you click on a profile, and from there it’s your job to work some magic. The company hosted a few chairlift speed-dating events at Loveland this season, but there is no location feature for nearby matches. Who knows? Your soulmate could be in Oklahoma.

Cost: Free for basic, $5-$10 for unlimited messaging and pairing info

JOIN THE CONVERSATION

Trio of Breckenridge Film Festival picks up for Academy Awards in Los Angeles

#Breckenridge #Colorado

Summit Daily News Link

Three selections of the 2016 Breckenridge Film Festival have been nominated for awards by the Academy of Motion Pictures and Sciences, according to a news release.

The ceremony will be Feb. 26, and the Breck Film Fest will host a fundraiser the same day alongside the Academy Awards ceremony in Los Angeles. Doors open at 5:45 p.m. at the Speakeasy Theater and Breckenridge Grand Vacations Community Center, with tickets available for $48 in advance at BreckFilmFest.org.

The fundraising event will include a silent auction, costume prizes, a donation giveaway and a red-carpet photo booth in addition to beverages, hors d’oeuvres and, of course, the Academy Awards broadcast. The fundraiser precedes the annual Breck Film Fest on Sept. 21-24.

The release notes that announcement of the three sections making the cut comes on the heels of the Breck Film Fest being named one of Film Freeway’s top 100 reviewed festivals by filmmakers.

“Out of literally thousands of festivals listed on Film Freeway, Breck Film Fest is proud to be in the top 100 — and not just the top 100, we are in the first 50,” lauded Janice Kurbjun, executive director of the Breck Film Fest, in the release.

The three selections nominated for awards include:

• “Piper,” a Pixar short film production that preceded “Finding Dory” in theatrical release and is available on “Finding Dory” home theater DVDs and Blu-Rays. It was nominated for an Academy Award in the Animated Short Film category.

“Piper” was included in the Breck Film Fest’s Sunday night screening of Pixar short films, which was the first time in Pixar history that the short films were shown back-to-back in a festival environment. “Piper” producer Marc Sondheimer attended the festival, and held a Q&A session following the films.

“The Sunday night Pixar short films was one of our best featured programming choices in recent years,” Kurbjun said. “We geared Sunday night toward the community, showing a family-friendly program that was extremely well-received. We hope to do similar programming at future festivals.”

• “Borrowed Time,” is a short film, also produced by Pixar animators, as a side project. It screened on Opening Night of the Breck Film Fest. Two animators attended the festival, and one of them, Andrew Coats, held a Q&A session afterward, as well.

As a Pixar animator who works closely with Sondheimer, it’s interesting that the two are in a unique battle for the Oscar in 2017.

• The Breck Film Fest also screened the acclaimed documentary “Life Animated” as part of its featured programming at the Riverwalk Center. The Saturday night program included the film as well as a discussion of Disney storyboarding and animation from Disney production assistant and Summit County native Elise Scanlan, according to the release.

The documentary tells the story of an autistic boy who found his voice with the help of Disney characters. It also is up for an Oscar for Best Documentary.

“We have had a number of Breck Film Fest official selections show up in the Academy Award nominations in the past, but this year is probably the most in one cohort,” Kurbjun said. “We are thrilled for these films, excited for the filmmakers, and have our fingers crossed that they’ll receive the award during the Feb. 26 ceremony.”

According to the release, The Breck Film Fest has had one Oscar winner in the history of the festival — the 2013 film “The Lady in No. 6.”

“These nominations throw an extra air of excitement into this year’s fundraiser,” Kurbjun said. “Not only will our guests be able to enjoy the Academy Awards in a cocktail party environment, they’ll have something to root for as they’re watching. It will be a pretty special experience, particularly if one of these films wins.”

Public land in Summit County could have private owner under federal bill

#Summit County #Colorado

Courtesy U.S. Forest Service

Summit Daily News Link

A federal bill proposing the sale of nearly 3.5 million acres of public land spanning 10 of the nation’s western states was recently introduced in Washington, D.C., and could auction off a consequential tract of Summit County property to the highest bidder.

Rep. Jason Chaffetz, from Utah’s 3rd Congressional District, launched the massive sell-off effort last week to rid the federal government of Bureau of Land Management assets in his home state, as well as Colorado, Arizona, Idaho, Montana, Nebraska, Nevada, New Mexico, Oregon and Wyoming. The “Disposal of Excess Federal Lands Act of 2017” landed with the U.S. House Natural Resources Committee on Jan. 24, of which the Tea Party Republican Chaffetz is a member, but immediately came under fire from a number of stakeholder groups across the country.

Environmentalists and sportsmen have suddenly locked arms in opposition of House Bill 621 to try and prevent the fire sale of this major chunk of publicly accessible land to non-federal organizations. BLM land has many functions, including leases for logging timber and obtaining fossil fuels, but is also a favorite summer resource of campers, cyclists and outdoor enthusiasts, as well as hunters. From an environmental standpoint, much of it also plays an important role as winter-grazing areas for elk and big-horned sheep, in addition to critical corridors for wildlife like bears and gray wolves.

“These lands have been deemed to serve no purpose for taxpayers,” Chaffetz states of the plan on his congressional website.

Those uniting against what amounts to a federal yard sale beg to differ.

“There is no reason for this bill except to begin stripping away American lands from American hands,” said Jeremy Nichols, climate and energy program director for WildEarth Guardians, a nonprofit with the mission of protecting the health of the American West. “For Coloradans, it’s especially worrisome as public lands are truly the region’s breadbasket.”

The bill uses a U.S. Department of the Interior land survey, produced two decades ago during the Clinton Administration under the watch of Interior Secretary Bruce Babbitt, as its framework. At the time, the federal agency was tasked with identifying landholdings that could be unloaded or exchanged to help raise funds for the restoration of the Florida Everglades. That enterprise, however, was never brought to fruition.

But Colorado has 94,000 acres of land across 29 counties named in the document for sale, including swathes managed by the Bureau’s Kremmling Field Office in Grand, Jackson, Larimer and Summit counties. Today, the small sliver of Summit property could prove particularly valuable.

Assuming it’s the same 160-acre, rectangular parcel also singled out in a prior internal BLM resource management plan more than a decade earlier, the plot sits just north of Green Mountain Reservoir on the border of Grand County along the White River National Forest. It also has a segment of the gold medal-designated Blue River running right down its middle.

Noting the land’s obstacles to sale, including possible mine contamination, historic and cultural restrictions and hindrances to access because it abuts U.S. Forest Service property, the 20-year-old appraisal document value it at less than $1,500 an acre for a grand total of approximately $230,000. By 2017 numbers, local officials acknowledge it could be quite a steal. That is, if it can even become available.

At some point in the Department of Interior’s review and today, the land in Summit was dealt to the U.S. Forest Service. But, if House Bill 621 passed through Congress and was signed into law, the land could still be reassigned as BLM and sold. Were that all to happen during the legislative session — BLM personnel are unable to formally comment on active federal legislation — it would leave the momentous property exposed to the prospect of private ownership, and the county’s open space & trails department would almost certainly look to quickly snap it up, to maintain existing public access.

Chaffetz argues the law would direct the sale of a little more than 1 percent of the whole of BLM territories, and less and a ½ percent of all federal lands. Coupled with partner legislation introduced to eliminate BLM and Forest Service law enforcement functions on these properties, instead placing those duties with local agencies, he hopes to reframe the way the county thinks about shared public spaces.

“By restoring local control in law enforcement, we enable federal agencies and county sheriffs to each focus on their respective core missions,” Chaffetz declared on his congressional website. “The long overdue disposal of excess federal lands will free up resources for the federal government while providing much-needed opportunities for economic development in struggling rural communities.”

Details on the two bills are scant for the time being as each first works its way through committee. Even if opponents like WildEarth Guardians grant that the potential passage is still a ways from reality, they aren’t putting anything to chance and are already out mobilizing support.

“This is not hypothetical, and I’m not being alarmist,” said Nichols. “This is a firm proposal. It’s good for people to understand that people in Congress are trying to do away with the concept of public land. This is so haphazard and not thought through. We’ll see where it all goes.”

Today’s top five things to do in Summit County

#Summit County #Colorado

Courtesy Summit Daily News

Summit Daily News Link

Top 5 things to do today in Summit County.

USSA NORAM CUP SPEED COMPETITION

Copper Mountain, Feb. 1

All day, Center Village, 0509 Copper Road. This North American Cup event takes place at Copper’s U.S. Ski Team Speed Center and allows for athletes to compete against others from around the world.

RIVET YOUR LOVE TOGETHER

Breckenridge, Feb. 1

Noon, Hot Shop, 123 S. Ridge St. Learn basic metalsmithing techniques including sawing and riveting to create a heart pendant. No experience necessary, materials included. (970) 453-3364.

ACROYOGA JAM

Breckenridge, Feb. 1

5 p.m., Old Masonic Hall, 136 S. Main St. A blend of therapeutic healing massage, high flying acrobatics, yogic breath and presence. Open to all levels of participants. Free.

FRISCO CUP SPRINT RACE

Frisco, Feb. 1

5:30 pm, Frisco Nordic Center, 616 Recreation Way. Evenings of friendly competition as part of a series. Distances increase over time and prepare participants for the Frisco Gold Rush. All racers will receive a finish time, cup of soup and an adult beverage.

BILL HEARNE TRIO & RIVER KITTENS

Breckenridge, Feb. 1

7 p.m. (first band), 10 p.m. (second band), The Historic Brown Hotel, 206 N. Ridge St. Bill Hearne Trio will play an acoustic set or two featuring honkytonk, ole time tunes and raw country music. River Kittens play a unique combination of folk, Americana and bluegrass with soaring three-piece harmonies. Cover charge of $10.

To view a full listing of today’s events visit http://www.summitdaily.com/Entertainment/Calendar/

Breckenridge Ski Area hosts pass-holder appreciation events through Feb. 10

#Breckenridge #Colorado

Courtesy Michael Yearout Photography

Summit Daily News Link

Breckenridge Ski Resort continues its 25 days of pass-holder appreciation event through Feb. 10, offering access to exclusive deals and giveaways each day of the week.

The event, which began on Jan. 17, features an extensive list of premier perks, many of which involve food and drink at specific Breckenridge locations such as Sevens Restaurant, Pioneer Crossing, T-Bar, The Maggie, Ten Mile Station and the Overlook Restaurant. In addition, pass holders will also receive a 15-percent discount (excluding alcohol) at all on-mountain food and beverage locations before 11 a.m. and after 2 p.m. A free breakfast is also being served up with First Tracks on both Jan. 31 and Feb. 7.

In addition, anyone looking to stay the night will receive up to 30 percent off lodging when staying at one of the Breck-owned and operated properties. Once guests arrive, there are still other ways to save corresponding with each day of the week:

-Monday: 50 percent off demo packages at Breck Sports

-Tuesday: Pass holder First Tracks

-Wednesday: Complimentary Epic Mix racing

-Thursday: Aprés specials and live music at The Maggie

-Friday: Hospitality First Tracks (for guests staying in official resort properties)

-Saturday: Aprés with live music and DJ

-Sunday: Bud Light promo team at T-Bar; Super Bowl Sunday at The Maggie/T-Bar

A full list of events and deals is available at: breckenridge.com/events/pass%20holder%20appreciation.aspx#/PerksandDetails

Frisco Freeze fat bike race to take place before Spontaneous Combustion bonfire

#Frisco #Colorado

Summit Daily News Link

On Saturday, Feb. 4, the Frisco Nordic Center will host the inaugural Frisco Freeze Fat Bike Race. The 8-mile course will make its way along the Nordic center’s groomed trails, the first time they have been used for fat bikes.

The race will begin at 3 p.m. with an awards ceremony at the Spontaneous Combustion bonfire at 6:30 p.m. There will be five categories for racers: Pro-Open Men, Amateur Men 18-39, Amateur Men 40+, Junior Boys 17 & Under and Open Women. Awards will be given to the top three racers in each category.

The Frisco Freeze is the second race in the Summit Mountain Challenge Fat Bike Series, which is made up of four races total including two in Breckenridge and one at Copper Mountain.

After the race, Frisco will host Spontaneous Combustion, a community bonfire and fireworks show. The event will also feature beverage and chili sales benefiting the Summit Nordic Ski Club. The bonfire will begin at 6 p.m. with fireworks at 8 p.m. at the lot on the corner of Summit Boulevard and Marina Road.

The town will be accepting Christmas trees to fuel the bonfire through Friday, Feb. 3. Trees must be stripped of all lights, tinsel, garland, tree stands and decorations prior to drop-off at the Frisco Bay Marina dirt lot. Only real trees will be accepted.

Registration fees for the fat-bike race vary from $20-$30. More information and online registration is available at FriscoRecreation.com. For further information about the tree drop-off and Spontaneous Combustion, please contact Nora Gilbertson at (970) 668-9132.

Frisco Historic Park and Museum kicking off winter lecture series in February

#Frisco #Colorado

Summit Daily News Link

The Frisco Historic Park and Museum will kick off a winter lecture series next month that will feature talks every Wednesday from 3­–4 p.m. at the museum’s Log Chapel.

The first lecture of the series, on Feb. 15, will feature stories about Camp Hale from 10th Mountain Division ski pioneer and WWII veteran Dick Over. Attendees will learn about the history of the camp as well as the training missions and battles its soldiers endured.

On Feb. 22, Glen Kraatz will give a lecture on the history of Summit County Mountain Rescue, which has been responding to calls for help in the backcountry for 44 years. Attendees will also hear stories of some of the group’s more daring rescues over its nearly half-century history.

Next, on March 1, district wildlife managers from Colorado Parks and Wildlife will meet with locals to discuss coexisting with the wide variety of winter wildlife species that call Summit County home.

On March 8, Dr. Sandie Mather, a local author and historian, will share some of the history behind the Dillon Reservoir project and the feats of engineering to build the enormous structure.

Breckenridge Ski Resort is full of runs whose names have little-known backstories, like “Frosty’s Freeway,” “Tom’s Baby” and “Debby’s Alley.” On March 15, local historian Rick Hague will shed light on where these names came from and reveal some of the ski area’s long-lost secrets.

The final installment of the series, on March 22, will feature a presentation from Bob Schoppe, co-author of Summit’s newest local railroad history book, “Summit County’s Narrow-Gauge Railroads.” During a slideshow, guests will enjoy photos and stories of a ride on the rails from Como to Leadville and learn all about railroading in the Rockies.

For more information regarding the Frisco Historic Park and Museum and its programs, visit FriscoHistoricPark.com or call (970) 668-3428.

November sales tax numbers in Summit County strong despite slow start to winter

#Summit County #Colorado

Summit Daily News Link

The month of November is the tail end of the shoulder season in Summit County. Despite the slow start to winter this year, sales tax numbers remained strong for most of the towns in Summit.

Silverthorne saw its second highest boost of the year with November revenue coming in at nearly 14 percent over the same time in 2015. Year-to-date revenue is more than $9.5 million. Breckenridge saw slower growth in November, coming in 3.23 percent ahead, while remaining 8 percent ahead for year-to-date totals. Frisco brought in $563,778 during November, $45,000 more than last year. Dillon was the only town in the red for Summit, falling $4,185 short of last year. The town is ahead for year-to-date numbers by 2.7 percent.

Carri McDonnell, the finance director in Dillon, said that large business closures such as Sports Authority and Natural Grocers’ relocation to Frisco have impacted the town’s monthly numbers.

Marty Ferris, the finance director for Summit County, said that the unincorporated area brought in $230,000 through November, and is 5.39 percent ahead of last year. Copper Mountain Resort and Keystone Resort are the two biggest contributors to that portion of the county’s sales tax, and the county’s strongest months are when the ski resorts are up and running. Because many of the resorts had to delay their start dates due to a lack of snow, county sales tax revenue suffered as well.

“We’ve been down the last couple months, which is odd,” Ferris said.

She added that December is typically a stronger month for tourism and sales tax revenue for Summit.

For both Frisco and Breckenridge, revenue categories that are strongly impacted by tourists also saw slower growth. Restaurants in Breckenridge fell behind by .75 percent from November of last year, and short-term lodging saw a similar decrease. However, Brian Waldes, the director of finance and information technology in Breckenridge, said that part of this is because of the high rates of growth in previous years.

“That’s the first time we’ve seen that in a big month in a while,” he said. “If you go back over ’14 and ’15, (there’s) 16, 18 percent jumps from combinations of ’14-’15. It just can’t keep going.”

Restaurants in Dillon on the other hand, were up by 13 percent for November. McDonnell said that there were several restaurants in Dillon that opened recently. Both Dickey’s Barbeque Pit and Cheba Hut opened in 2016, contributing to the increase.

The Outlets at Silverthorne saw an increase in sales tax revenue for the first time in several months. The shops brought in $22,851 more in revenue than November of last year. For year-to-date revenue, the Outlets is still behind by nearly $100,000.

In Frisco, grocery sales tax revenue was nearly 16 percent ahead of numbers for November of last year. Grocery taxes in Frisco have brought in more than $1.5 million total through November of 2016. Silverthorne’s food and liquor revenue also saw a 13.73 percent increase for the month. Chad Most, the revenue specialist in Frisco, said that some of the boost may be from incoming seasonal workers.

“We really are, I believe, becoming more of a hub for local shopping, especially in relation to groceries,” Most said.

Summit County property tax revenue could flatten out due to residential rate cut

#Summit County #Colorado

Summit Daily News Link

A projected drop in residential property taxes in Colorado could leave commercial property owners to cover the difference.

The assessment rate for residential properties in Colorado has stayed at 7.96 percent for nearly 14 years. But the Department of Local Affairs recently released a study that projects the rate will drop to 6.56 percent. The new rate would go into effect for 2018.

The tax cut comes from a measure in Colorado’s constitution known as the Gallagher amendment.

In the ’70s, Colorado saw continuous increases to property taxes. The amendment was passed in 1982 to combat rising taxes, and stipulates that residential properties only make up 45 percent of the state’s overall assessed value. Commercial value makes up the remaining 55 percent. The report from Local Affairs adds that in 1958 the residential rate was at 29 percent, but had quickly risen up to 44 percent by 1982. If home values begin to rise over commercial, the ratio needs to be adjusted to ensure homeowners are not covering more than 45 percent, causing a tax cut.

Once tax rates drop, getting them back up again is more complicated. Through Colorado’s Tax Payers Bill of Rights, rates cannot be raised without voter approval. In the 34 years since Gallagher was put into place, the assessment rate for commercial property stayed at 29 percent. Residential rates on the other hand have dropped from 21 percent to their recent rate of 7.96 percent, according to the report from Local Affairs.

“It’s very difficult to look at an amendment and just kind of think about its long-term impact,” said Beverly Breakstone, the Summit County assessor.

Breakstone said that the drop could mean that any taxes not covered by residential property owners get pushed to the commercial taxpayers, primarily business owners and people who own vacant land.

“It’s a very meaningful thing here,” she said. “It’s an inequity in the tax system.”

However, Bill Wallace, the public trustee and treasurer for Summit, said that the new rate would not have a strong impact on the county and that it’s meant to help equalize tax payments between commercial and residential property owners.

In Summit County, 13 percent of the total property value falls under commercial. Breakstone said that under the projected tax rates, that small group will be covering 38 percent of the property tax. The change also hurts the county’s revenue for the coming years.

‘The fact that the overall assessment ratio is dropping, coupled with the fact that commercial properties in Summit County are also going up considerably, we are going to come out probably pretty close to flat in terms of what our 2016-2017 property tax collections are, compared to what our 2018-2019 property tax collections will be,” said Scott Vargo, the county manager.

Vargo added that before the rate dropped, the county had projected a 5 percent increase in revenue from property taxes. He estimated that for the county about 30 percent of its revenue comes from property taxes.

But Summit is lucky because the high demand for housing and commercial property helps to offset the Gallagher amendment. In Vargo’s eyes, having flat revenues is better than losing it, which could be the case for counties that aren’t seeing growth in residential and commercial properties.

“It changes some of our longer term planning,” he said. “We’re not looking at it seeing a situation where we’re going to have to make significant cuts, which is fantastic news for us.”

New Colorado Classic road-cycling race rolls through Breck Aug. 11

#Breckenridge #Colorado

Summit Daily News Link

Come August, Colorado’s newest professional bicycle race will roll through downtown Breckenridge.

On Jan. 25, event promoter RPM Events Group announced stages and preliminary plans for the inaugural Colorado Classic, a brand-new, pro-level cycling race scheduled to debut in Colorado Springs, Breckenridge and Denver this summer.

From Aug. 10-13, an international field of professional male and female cyclists will race more than 300 total miles on multiple circuits, according to the release, with start and finish lines for each stage located in the same town. Racing begins in Colorado Springs on Aug. 10 with men’s and women’s races before moving to Breckenridge on Aug. 11 for a men’s-only race. While the guys are in Breck, the women wrap up their portion of the Colorado Classic with a circuit event under the lights in Denver. The event wraps up on Aug. 12 and 13 with two men’s races, also in Denver.

“From the Red Zinger Bicycle Classic to the Coors Classic and on to the USA Pro Challenge, professional bike racing has become a part of our identity in Colorado,” said Ken Gart, chairman of RPM Events Group, the organization formed to oversee the event. “I can’t wait to once again show off this wonderful state to the world during the Colorado Classic. The Colorado Classic is being developed to appeal not just to cycling fans, but a wide array of Coloradans and visitors to the state.”

The four-day Colorado Classic format is much different from the USA Pro Challenge, the last pro-level race to visit Breck and Summit County. That event was modeled after world-class races like the Tour de France and featured seven distinct stages spread across the state, but organizers ran into sponsorship woes after the 2015 event and postponed racing indefinitely. The event is still on hold.

“I raced in Colorado in 1977 for the first time in the race known as the Red Zinger, which grew into one of the biggest bike races in the world,” said Connie Carpenter Phinney of Boulder, who won the first-ever gold medal in a women’s Olympic road race. “Now, 40 years later, I’m excited to see Colorado once again leading the way forward for men’s and women’s pro racing.”

Each day of the Colorado Classic is designed to showcase an interactive start/finish area, the release continued, and the daily routes will combine downtown circuits of each city with the beauty of Colorado’s legendary terrain and landmarks. The Denver portions of the race will feature a companion festival, with national music acts, a marketplace and much more. Details on those plans will be released in the coming weeks.

“Coloradans love pro bike racing,” said Derek Bouchard-Hall, President & CEO of USA Cycling, “and we’re extremely pleased that the Colorado Classic will continue the state’s proud tradition with both men’s and women’s events.”

The race is designated a 2.HC stage race by the sport’s governing body, Union Cycliste Internationale, meaning it’s one step below World Tour races like the Tour de France, Tour of California and now-defunct USA Pro Challenge. Organizers are expecting 18 domestic and international teams, comprised of six riders each. The women’s field is expected to draw some of the top professional cyclists in the U.S.

Breckenridge workforce housing complex Huron Landing scheduled for summer completion

#Breckenridge #Colorado

Courtesy Summit Daily

Summit Daily News Link

The $8.5 million joint workforce housing project between the town of Breckenridge and Summit County government near the 7-Eleven on Huron Road is on schedule and will have renters moving in this summer.

The 26-unit apartment complex, located just behind Breckenridge Stor-N-Go, is the first split partnership of its kind between the two municipalities in the countywide struggle to keep up with home demands for local employees. The rentals will require that tenants work a minimum of 30 hours per week within the county, as well as meet a number of other income and application parameters to qualify to live there.

Town and county officials are still hammering out a handful of those precise stipulations based on staff recommendations, but with full completion of the projected planned for June 30 — almost exactly a year to the day from groundbreaking — and a housing lottery on the first of that month, those details should soon be finalized. What is already settled, though, is that half of units will be dedicated to those who work in the Upper Blue Basin, as defined as Farmer’s Corner to Hoosier Pass, and the other half from throughout the county also including the Upper Blue area.

The 1.7-acre property is broken into two sections, one building slightly further up the hill and one closer to State Highway 9, with 52 on-site parking spaces. The east building includes 15 two-bedroom, one-bath units, while the west building has 11 two-bedroom, two-bath units.

The county and town will maintain two apartments each — four total units — for transitional employee housing while more permanent situations are found for individuals accepting a job with either government. That leaves 14 one-bath and eight two-bath — 22 total — residences available for rent.

Preliminary suggestions put monthly rent at $1,550 for the one-bath units, and $1,700 for those with two bathrooms. According to current metrics, that makes the apartments affordable for households with an annual income of $62,000 and $68,000, respectively, positioning them at 95- and 102-percent area median income (AMI) for homes occupied by two people. That pricing includes utilities, including gas and electric, trash service and snow removal, which is estimated at a value of about $150 a month depending on usage. Tenants would need to purchase their own internet or cable television.

“We feel we’re right in the appropriate rental range to fill up the building, and keep it highly functional,” Nicole Bleriot, county housing director, told the Board of County Commissioners at a Tuesday morning meeting.

The county and town will hash out those rental rates for the one-year leases in the coming months, and at least an additional month’s rent would be expected up front as a security deposit. Final pricing and the application process, including a fee and credit check, will be released in early April. Applications will then be accepted between mid April and mid May before the June lottery, and the two buildings filled by August. Those accepted into Huron Landing will need to prove monthly income of 2 ½ times the cost of rent.

Each apartment comes with a 4-by-3 personal storage unit for gear, and all are slated to for a single parking space, with the opportunity to rent a second from a supply of 20 for $40 per month on a first-come, first-serve basis. That leaves six spaces for guests, where a resident would acquire a temporarily pass from the Corum Real Estate Group, which will handle property management services.

A maximum of two pets will be allowed per unit at the complex, at a cost of $25 each month on top of a nonrefundable deposit. Residents will also be required to carry rental insurance, estimated at an annual rate of about $120, and no guns or smoking of any kind will be permitted. Subletting will not be allowed, and decks are expected to only provide for gas grills, patio furniture and possible some minimal recreation equipment like a single bicycle.

The two municipalities are still forming the renewal framework for rent increases, in addition to income and/or annual AMI caps. The thought is, should tenants shift to a total household income above a set ceiling — whatever it ends up being — during their year in the unit, their lease would not be renewed for the next term. It is possible renewal limits could be determined on a case-by-case basis depending on the number of occupants in each unit, and whether or not they are related.

“What is appropriate in terms of a limitation should probably vary upon what kind of a household makeup you have in the unit,” said County Commissioner Thomas Davidson. “If you have four unrelated people, each with their own separate income, that’s one thing. If you’ve got a family in there, then that’s something else.”

The town and county will be in discussions on these restrictions leading up to the late-June completion of the complex. Those conversations will help establish rates and expectations for any future collaborative housing ventures.