Golf season winds down in Summit

#Summit County #Colorado

Summit Daily

For most of Summit's golf courses, closing day is pretty well set. If you want to play the Keystone Ranch course or Copper Creek, you had better hurry as both courses will be closing on Sept. 30.

If you prefer the Keystone River course or Breckenridge Golf Club, you've got an extra week with both courses planning to close on Oct. 7. While any of theses dates might change, it's not to your benefit: Poor weather could shorten the season, but there's no chance of it extending.

However, the Raven at Three Peaks is the one golf holdout for Summit. As long as the weather's nice, the date on the calendar doesn't matter. Last year, the Raven kept bewildered golfers hunting for golf balls until mid-November, but that was quite a stretch. In a typical year the course closes down in mid- to late October, meaning it's your best chance at a Summit County doubleheader — ski in the morning and golf in the afternoon. Quandary has his own version of a doubleheader — pose for photos in the morning, head-butt a tourist in the afternoon — but so far that hasn't really caught on. Old Quandary doesn't believe in doing anything unless there's some competition involved, and I don't mean the everyone-gets-a-trophy competition style, I mean the elbow-granny-out-of-the-way kind where families are destroyed and blood is lost. If you also have a competitive streak, the Keystone golf clubs are combining for the Epic Pass Club Tournament on Sept. 22-23, giving you a chance to play both Keystone courses in two days. Granted elbowing is frowned upon, but it might be enough to hold over your competitive side until the ski slopes open up. To get your clubs in the game only one member of the team needs to be a pass holder and the rest of your ringers, I mean teammates, can be non-skiers if need be.

If you do find yourself on a course in November or December, chances are you're going to be in the wrong gear. Most of Summit's courses do double duty in the winter turning into Nordic centers and ski slopes once the snow starts flying. After all, can anyone survive in Summit County with just one job? So before you pack your putter, give the course a call to make sure you don't need to bring your skis instead.

Summit Daily Link

Transformer equipment failure leads to widespread power outages in Breckenridge

#Breckenridge #Colorado

Summit Daily

Breckenridge's emergency services had their hands full on Thursday evening after a series of equipment failures in transformers spurred sporadic power failures throughout the town, along with two small grass fires.

While the problem has since been remedied, with power coming back on by around 8 p.m., officials still aren't sure what initially caused the problem.

"It can be anything from just a bad or aging piece of equipment," said Michelle Aguayo, a spokesperson for Xcel Energy. "We don't have any idea right now as to what caused the failure."

At around 5:10 last night an equipment malfunction inside a transformer on the corner of White Cloud Drive and Sunrise Point Drive caused a power outage in the area. In order to track down the malfunctioning equipment, Xcel began a process called "switching." This helps to explain the patchy and widespread power outages around town, as Xcel was forced to systematically shut off power in different areas to isolate the failure.

"We had to find exactly where that problem was," said Aguayo. "In order to do that we had to manually switch our electric load from one piece of equipment to another to try and track down that problem. In doing so, when you're making those switches you're basically taking customers out, and then you have to bring them back in. We had to do that for a number of customers, which is why people were seeing power outages, and possibly more than one as we were trying to isolate the problem."

The exact extent of the power outages is currently unknown, though they were seen throughout Breckenridge, and even north of the town.

Aguayo said that Xcel received more than 230 calls reporting outages, though the actual number of persons affected is expected to be much larger.

The initial outage was the least of the problems for Xcel and emergency services in town. Sometime shortly after the first outage, two other transformers — one on Boreas Pass Road near the ice arena and another on Broken Lance Drive — experienced equipment failures. One transformer suffered an arcing incident toward the ground, while another exploded resulting in two small grass fires, according to Jim Keating, fire chief at the Red, White & Blue Fire Protection District.

Red, White & Blue had two crews respond to the fires, and they were doused within about 15 minutes of the initial calls, Keating said. While the cause of the chain reaction that caused the two other failures is also currently unknown, Aguayo noted that it's possible those pieces of equipment were overloaded due to the switching.

"The grid is all interconnected," Aguayo explained. "As our crews are taking power out, they're putting it back somewhere else. Most of the time you're not going to have any issues. This time they had some issues related to that … it's a possibility that because of the switching they could have been overloaded. There are safeguards in the grid to try and prevent that. In this case they didn't. We don't have notes on that particular part of the problem."

Aguayo said that there aren't any ongoing issues within the system.

While equipment failures aren't considered uncommon, the scope of the power outages and the resulting fires are more rare.

"I haven't seen anything really to this extent," said Keating. "It's not unusual to have a transformer blow over or start a fire. But to have two fires occurring from an electrical issue was very unusual for us."

Aside from the fires, which firefighters dealt with quickly and without incident, the power outages caused a number of other issues for emergency workers. The fire department had to perform at least four elevator extrications in the Peak 8 area for individuals trapped inside after the power outage. In addition, the outage caused the electronic door locks at the Crystal Peak Lodge to malfunction, effectively locking people in or out until firefighters could open the doors.

Keating said that all four of Red, White & Blue's stations responded to issues related to the outages, about 15 personnel total. Officers from the Breckenridge Police Department also responded to related calls.

Keating noted that there were a "considerable" number of auto-alarm drops as a result of the power outages. While auto-alarms being triggered in a situation like this are considered low priority by the department, every one had to be followed up on afterward. Firefighters from Red, White & Blue spent almost five hours in all putting out fires, performing elevator extrications and following up on auto-alarms.

Power was returned in waves between 7:30 and 8 p.m. Keating said that no other fires or injuries were reported.

"This is what we call an all hazards response," said Keating. "We were able to take care of it with the resources we had ready to respond. … We staff for things like the incident last night. It's times like that where you really need to have the personnel. Any one of those issues could have escalated pretty quickly. So it's a good feeling to know that when you prepare for something like this, that when it actually happens you're able to effectively protect the public. And that's what happened last night."

Summit Daily Link

Breckenridge parking saga continues

#Breckenridge #Colorado

Summit Daily

The biggest question facing Breckenridge Town Council on Tuesday hinged on where the town should build its long-awaited parking garage. Without a definitive answer to that question, the town and Vail Resorts have reached an impasse.

Breckenridge appeared set to start construction on a parking garage straddling two town-owned parking lots — Tiger Dredge and F-Lot — before pumping the brakes on the project this spring.

The delay was sparked in part by an offer from Vail Resorts suggesting the company, which owns Breckenridge Ski Resort and a handful of in-town parking lots, was willing to negotiate over the South Gondola Lot, where many locals think a downtown parking structure would be best suited.

So far, negotiations between the town and Vail Resorts have not produced any kind of agreement. On Tuesday, town officials said their options could include continuing to pursue a deal with Vail Resorts or looking elsewhere to town-owned properties.

"If we are going to build it in the core, (the South Gondola Lot) is the best location," town manager Rick Holman admitted, echoing previous statements from Breckenridge citizens and council members.

Or council could seek other solutions, he said. Consultants have suggested that Breckenridge should capture drivers on the outskirts of town with "intercept lots" and use the public transportation system to ferry those people into the town core.

"If we really want to look at intercept lots on the north and south ends (of Breckenridge), then that's what we should be talking about," Holman said.

Addressing his colleagues, Mayor Eric Mamula said he would be "happy to keep plugging away" with Vail Resorts, if that's council's will. Based on Tuesday's discussions, however, most council members feel like the town should own the land under the parking structure. They have concerns about building a structure for tens of millions of dollars and then ceding control of it to someone else.

Councilwoman Wendy Wolfe said she was willing to see what kind of proposal the company might come up with, but other council members expressed their willingness to walk away from the South Gondola Lot altogether if the town can't get the land.

Tuesday's conversation was important because Mamula and Holman had a Wednesday morning phone call with Vail Resorts executive vice president-mountain division Chris Jarnot to continue discussions. On Thursday, Mamula said he relayed the town's commitment to owning the land to Vail Resorts, but it didn't produce any notable changes in the talks, which have hit a stalemate.

"Honestly, unless there's some real change of heart in the company, I don't see them (selling us the land)," the mayor said. "I don't even hold a grudge against them for doing that. I think that's completely legitimate if they want to say, 'We don't want to sell our property.' I get that."

Meanwhile, Vail Resorts seems to be struggling to see the town's point of view.

"The town of Breckenridge informed us this week that they are not interested in continuing the discussions we have been having around parking in Breckenridge," reads a statement from the company. "We will be looking to understand the town's position better."

Preferring the South Gondola Lot over a structure at Tiger Dredge and F-Lot, Councilman Gary Gallagher said protecting downtown is paramount to him, and he wouldn't mind looking at intercept lots, perhaps at the Stephen C. West Ice Arena on the south side of town or on the Block 11 property to the north.

"Trying to think more holistically, more globally, big picture, I'm kind of coming back to I'd like to see us protect our core and not jam it up with more traffic," he said. "I'm prepared to start thinking about alternatives that are not the South Gondola Lot."

For Councilman Dick Carleton, the South Gondola Lot could be a good option, but only if the town can own the land.

"I find that making that level of investment on land we don't own, I'm just struggling with it," he said. "I guess my feeling is we should move forward but on land we own."

In July 2017, council declined a north-and-south, town-owned gondola, but Councilwoman Erin Gigliello mentioned it might be worth revisiting if council favors intercept lots. Shortly thereafter, Councilman Jeffrey Bergeron said he could support building on the South Gondola Lot, but like Gallagher and Carleton, only if the town owns the land and only if it's a "good deal" for Breckenridge. That said, Bergeron further suggested that parking isn't really that big of issue in Breckenridge, except for maybe 20-30 days a year.

"You know, I'm in no hurry," he said. "We're talking about throwing a lot of money at this, and if we do it, we better do it right and in the right location. I'm still conflicted about where that right location would be."

Mamula also talked about the importance of getting this decision right. He said the ongoing conversation and time spent on the project will ultimately lead to a best-case scenario for the town. Because of the magnitude of the project, the mayor added, he's OK if it takes a while to reach the best solution.

Summit Daily Link

Former Breckenridge councilman joins calls for change at Backstage Theatre

#Breckenridge #Colorado

Summit Daily

Calls for change at Breckenridge Backstage Theatre continue to mount with former Breckenridge Town Councilman Mark Burke delivering a scathing indictment of the theater's board of directors at Tuesday night's council meeting.

"I can tell you when you lose three executive directors in a year and then you lose your artistic director in the same year, there's an issue — and that's a board issue," Burke said as he pressed council to intervene.

During the meeting, Mayor Eric Mamula told Burke they had already discussed the resignations at Backstage Theatre and Councilman Gary Gallagher would be "taking point" to make inroads with the board.

After meeting with board president Nina Jannetti and the theater's newly hired executive director, Debbie Trevino, on Wednesday, Gallagher described the town's position as "straightforward."

Council wants to ensure the continued strength of theater programming and make sure the nonprofit remains financially viable, he said, but council won't be getting involved in any personnel issues.

Additionally, Jannetti has disputed the board has any issues with how it operates.

"The Backstage Board is functioning well, cohesively, and with fiduciary responsibility to guarantee the successful continuance of the Theatre's institution in our community," she wrote in an email.

Jannetti added that the board is working closely with Trevino on upcoming children's programming as well as the theater's 45th season, which begins in December, while they search for a new artistic director.

"We are reviewing an abundance of artistic director applications and will make a careful selection in the very near future," Jannetti continued. "The changes at the Backstage Theatre in the past year will lead to a positive and responsible future allowing more growth, more community involvement and the perpetuity of what we consider our local treasure."

Burke cycled off town council in April after two four-year terms. Based on his understanding, Burke said the theater's outgoing artistic director, Chris Willard, doesn't really want to leave.

"I understand the council may be doing some behind-the-scenes work on the matter, so for that reason, I probably should refrain from making any comments at this time," Willard wrote in an email. "As for my future plans, well, I've haven't made any commitments yet."

Believing Willard doesn't want to go, Burke suggested council should leverage the town's support for the community theater — from monetary contributions to theater renovations and charging cheaper rental rates of town-owned facilities — to force the board into making some changes.

"It really does impact this town," Burke said of Backstage Theatre. "And I'm strongly suggesting that this board is not functioning properly."

Based on what Gallagher had to say though, council won't be putting any pressure on the board for Willard's return. Gallagher said he believes "there's a lot of noise out there" and much of the criticism directed at the board following the resignations of its executive and artistic directors in about a month has been mostly "unfounded."

"It's unfortunate so much attention has been paid to this," Gallagher said.

In July, the board publicly apologized for a satirical sketch poking fun at U.S. President Donald Trump, presented during the theater's biggest fundraising event of the year.

The day after the board apologized for the sketch — and simultaneously promised never to do anything like it again — executive director Erin Gigliello announced that she would resign. She has been tight-lipped about her reasons for leaving, saying only that she and the board "didn't see eye to eye on some things."

Fallout at Backstage Theatre might have stopped there, but Gigliello's resignation was soon followed by Willard announcing he too would resign after serving as artistic director for the last 13 years.

In both cases, Jannetti declined to take questions about the departures. For Willard, the board produced a short statement complimenting his time there. When Gigliello resigned, the board offered no comment.

Combined with Willard and Gigliello's silence, that has led some people to speculate about the pair's reasons for quitting and wonder what's happening at the theater; others have called for an outright boycott.

Addressing council on Tuesday, Burke referenced his experience with numerous boards both now and in the past, including once serving on the theater board and having worked for another board as the former president of Johnson & Wales University in Denver.

"So I understand how boards are supposed to function, boards that function well and boards that don't function well," Burke said.

In his remarks, Burke talked about "artistic freedom" and how he believes it runs along the same lines of "academic freedom" in the college environment. Burke said that at Johnson & Wales, he never wanted to do anything to infringe on academic freedoms.

"Maybe I don't have all the facts; I'm sure I don't," Burke said. However, he knows a group of people is rallying around Willard in an effort to try to keep him at Backstage Theatre and hoped council would speak with Willard directly.

Burke's comments put Gigliello in a precarious position on Tuesday, as she currently sits on town council. As Burke spoke, Gigliello did not respond.

Reached Wednesday over the phone, Gigliello said she sees why he cares so much about the theater and called it "a great asset" for Breckenridge before declining to answer any questions about the circumstances surrounding her or Willard's exits. Gigliello also expressed little interest in returning to her former job, which has since been filled.

"Not with the way things are," she said.

Gigliello said she also has decided to remove herself from the conversation among council members, not because she sees it as a potential conflict of interest — she doesn't — but because she doesn't want to make a bad situation worse.

Summit Daily Link

Summit County fire districts propose ballot measure to maintain funding levels

#Breckenridge #Colorado

Summit Daily

Summit County's fire protection districts are among several across the state asking voters to consider a new ballot measure this November intended to stabilize revenues in the face of daunting budget reductions.

Summit's fire districts are facing dire financial straits. Both Summit Fire & EMS and the Red, White & Blue Fire Protection District continue to face a rapidly growing number of emergency calls in both volume and complexity, as well as an expanding wildfire season that now reaches from March to late October. But their budgets continue to drop, in large part due to the Gallagher Amendment, a 1982 amendment to the Colorado Constitution that caps revenues from residential property values.

"Our budgets have been dropping for a long time," said Jeff Berino, fire chief at Summit Fire & EMS. "Every two years we've been seeing less income. We've absorbed the hits over the years, but it's time to draw a line in the sand."

The Gallagher Amendment effectively divides the state's total property tax burden between residential and nonresidential properties. According to the amendment, only 45 percent of the state's property taxes can stem from residential property, while the other 55 percent must come from commercial properties. In addition to the percentage cap, the amendment mandates that the assessment rate for commercial properties be set at 29 percent, while the residential assessment rate is adjusted annually to maintain the 45-to-55 percent split.

More simply put, whenever residential property values are growing faster than commercial property values, homeowners are contributing more than their 45 percent share, and a mandatory tax cut for homeowners is triggered. While that might sound desirable for homeowners, there are unintended consequences that come into play, such as massive budget cuts for the fire protection districts that get a majority of their funding from residential property taxes.

When the amendment was passed in 1982 the residential assessment rate was set at 21 percent, but residential property values have risen at a much higher rate than commercial properties since that time, and the Colorado Legislature has reduced the residential assessment to 7.2 percent. Adding to the issues with the Gallagher Amendment is the Taxpayer's Bill of Rights, or TABOR, another amendment added to the Colorado Constitution in 1992 that requires voter approval to raise taxes. This means that the assessment rates can't go up without voter approval, even if residential property values plummet or commercial property values skyrocket. Residential assessment rates are anticipated to drop again in 2019 to around 6.1 percent, which could cost both fire districts about $1 million annually in lost funding.

Summit's fire protection districts have already felt the affects of the Gallagher Amendment. Almost 88 percent of the budget for the Lake Dillon Fire Protection District comes from residential property taxes, and the agency saw a budget reduction of more than half a million dollars in 2018 alone due to the assessment reduction. Red, White & Blue and the Copper Mountain Consolidated Metro District are facing similar issues. Unlike school and water districts, there's no extra money from the state or opportunities to raise fees to mitigate the affects.

The Lake Dillon Fire Protection District and the Copper Mountain Consolidated Metro District are both represented by Summit Fire & EMS, though still operate legally as separate entities.

But despite the budget reductions the fire departments are busier than ever. Summit Fire & EMS has seen a 26 percent increase in call volume since 2010, while Red, White & Blue has seen a 50 percent increase in the last five years. In addition, while the wildfire season traditionally consists of four months, the season has continuously grown over the years to now span almost eight months. With growing demand and shrinking budgets, the agencies fear that reduction of services and staffing could be on the horizon.

Chief Jim Keating of Red, White & Blue said that mitigation efforts like fire breaks will be the first to go.

"You have your list of what you're going to cut first," said Keating. "Mitigation and prevention programs will go first. We spent over $100,000 in overtime this year doing mitigation inspections, and it's not uncommon to have 40-50 mitigation requests in our queue at any time. They'd be the first to go."

But staffing cuts could be close behind, according to Berino.

"We will have to make hard decisions, which will ultimately affect personnel and service levels," said Berino. "We're talking about a million dollars. Sooner or later it's going to be salaries."

Berino noted that almost 90 percent of Summit Fire's budget goes to salaries, and Keating said Red, White & Blue's numbers were similar. Summit Fire & EMS currently operates on a budget of about $10.1 million a year, while Red, White & Blue operates at about $8.8 million annually.

Budget reductions will likely mean layoffs and reduction in services, which in turn will likely lead to increased response times, reduction of public education programs, delays of capital improvements like new fire engines, and could even affect the safety of the agencies' firefighters.

"Both districts feel very strongly about giving our firefighters the safest equipment we can afford," said Berino. "We've got a lot of young firefighters, and I want them to have a long career."

But there might be a solution in the form of new ballot measures Summit residents can vote on in November. While each district will have their own measure with different language, they all essentially add up to the same result: freezing residential assessment rates at the current 7.2 percent.

If passed, the measures would essentially create a floating mill levy — a tax rate that is applied to the assessed value of a property — that the districts could raise or lower to maintain the 7.2 percent rate. If the state decides to further lower residential assessment rates, the districts would increase mill levies on residential properties accordingly to stabilize revenues year to year. In this capacity, the measure could help maintain the districts' revenue streams, without raising taxes for property owners.

If the Gallagher Amendment were to be repealed, the measures would essentially be nullified.

"As we are seeking revenue stabilization, we're trying to keep the 7.2 percent assessment rate," said Bryan Webinger, district manager for the Copper Mountain Consolidated Metro District. "It's not a money grab, we're just trying to help the community."

"Our priority is public safety," added Berino. "Without public funding, our hands are tied. We don't have any other way to provide it without proper funding."

Summit Daily Link

Pet Scene: Summit County’s adoptable animals for the week of Sept. 11

#Summit County #Colorado

Summit Daily

CATS

NALA, 9 years, domestic short-hair, calico, spayed female

SNOW, 10 years, domestic short-hair, white, neutered male

EDNA, 6 months, domestic short-hair, tortoiseshell and brown tabby, spayed female

EBON, 6 months, domestic short-hair, gray tabby, neutered male

ETHAN, 6 months, domestic short-hair, gray tabby, spayed female

MISSY, 7 years, domestic medium-hair, tortoiseshell, spayed female

BRANDY, 7 years, Siamese, flame point, spayed female

WHITNEY, 1 year 7 months, domestic long-hair, calico, spayed female

AURORA, 3 months, domestic long-hair, seal point, spayed female

WILMA, 2 years, domestic short-hair, black and white, spayed female

REMMI, no age, domestic short-hair, brown tabby, neutered male

LOLLY, 1 year 6 months, domestic short-hair, calico, spayed female

ABELLA, 3 months, domestic short-hair, black, spayed female

ADRIEN, 3 months, domestic long-hair, black and gray, spayed female

MAMA BROOKE, 4 years, domestic medium-hair, brown tabby, spayed female

PENELOPE, 2 years, domestic short-hair, gray tabby, spayed female

BOO, 7 years, domestic short-hair, gray tabby, spayed female

MIA, 1 year 2 months, domestic short-hair, orange and white tabby, spayed female

EMILY, 6 months, domestic short-hair, tortoiseshell and di tabby calico, spayed female

DIXIE, 7 years, domestic short-hair, brown tabby, spayed female

DOGS

JOEY, 3 years, border collie mix, white and black, neutered male

TOBIAS, 2 years, pit bull terrier and pug mix, tan and white, neutered male

GADGET, 3 years, Australian cattle dog, blue merle and tricolor, neutered male

JACKSON, 7 years, collie — rough mix, black and brown, neutered male

GODIVA, 1 year 7 months, Staffordshire bull terrier, brown, spayed female

ENZO, 1 year 9 months, Belgian malinois and German shepherd mix, tricolor, neutered male

CHACO, 4 years, shiba inu mix, white and brown, neutered male

LUCY, 5 years, Australian cattle dog and beagle mix, black, spayed female

JUNIPER, 10 years, German shepherd, black and tan, spayed female

BOOTS, 2 years, pit bull terrier and Labrador retriever mix, black and white, spayed female

NELLIE, 1 year 1 month, border collie mix, white and black, spayed female

JAIME, no age, American, brown, unaltered female

Summit Daily Link

Will Summit County support a field house?

#Breckenridge #Colorado

Summit Daily

A handful of Summit County citizens are emerging as advocates for an indoor athletics facility — also called a field house — that they say would be a great benefit for a wide range of players.

The timing of the latest push for a field house comes as an intergovernmental group comprised of the county and towns of Breckenridge, Frisco and Silverthorne is gathering information about the need, programming, feasibility, funding options and possible locations for such a facility.

A scientific survey is being mailed out to a random sample of county voters with plans for an open-ended survey to follow, allowing anyone with an opinion on a field house the chance to offer comment.

Some of the proponents, however, worry too many people won't fully understand what's at stake in the discussions and that, without wide-ranging community support, the effort could fail before it's been fully vetted by the community.

"We're concerned there hasn't been enough conversation about the reasons," said Juli Rathke, a local parent who's helping organize a grassroots campaign in support of a field house and creating the website, Summit4FieldHouse.com, in support of the cause.

As she and some other proponents are promoting the concept, they're trying to ask at least one question they think is paramount to the field house conversation: What do your children do from 4-9 p.m., after the sun has gone down and ski lifts have stopped running, during Summit's snow-locked winters?

"Kids could have more opportunity if they had more space available," Rathke said. "We have the longest winter season, really, of anyone in the state of Colorado."

With that, Rathke and other supporters are hoping to gain momentum and numbers. They see each different user group for a field house as a potential ally and hope they'll join the cause.

"You talk about all the clubs, Team Summit — everybody is looking for additional space," Rathke said. Many local activities often struggle to land practice time, including but not limited to youth and club football, basketball, volleyball, baseball, softball, lacrosse and rugby. She's also thinking of the gymnasts, freestyle skiers and freestyle snowboarders who have to travel to fine-tune their skills.

At this point, any ideas for what a Summit County field house might contain are purely conceptual. Still, advocates envision an all-encompassing facility like the one in Edwards that's large enough for a full-sized turf field on one side and multi-purpose areas for amenities like foam pits and weight training on the other side.

They hope such a facility would be organized to allow for youth and adult programming alike, much like how ice time at the Stephen C. West Ice Arena is managed.

Summit County Judge Edward J. Casias is one person who's heavily involved with youth sports, including youth basketball and club lacrosse, and he can see a pressing need for such a field house. Speaking as a parent, the judge called the idea "a great opportunity" to alleviate what he described as "the pinch" plaguing youth sports across Summit County.

"The reason I say that is we don't have any place for youth sports to practice over the winter," Casias said, adding that it's been a major struggle finding the space for the athletics programs currently offered in Summit County, let alone any kind of expanded programming.

Andrea Rosenthal, executive director of the High Country Soccer Association, a local group that offers soccer to more than 750 children every year, also said a field house could be a real game-changer for the county.

"The change would be tremendous," she said while describing the same scenario Casias did, in which program organizers are often left without adequate field time and no place to go. She also thinks that with expanded facilities, the High Country Soccer Association could expand its programs, including the adult leagues.

"There's a gap that we can't fill at this current time, and it would be for the benefit of everybody," she said of a field house. "It would truly widen the draw we have to bring people into this community and keep them here."

A local business owner, Shervin Rashidi, also volunteers his time with youth sports, having coached youth football and baseball teams, in addition to various other sports.

"We just need a field house," he said matter-of-factly, echoing many of the same statements Rathke, Casias and Rosenthal offered. "There's just so much need for a year-round facility for athletics in general."

"Year-round" is the same word that rang loud with Peter Haynes, president of the Summit Nordic Ski Club. That's because Haynes helps run an all-season program that appeals to a wide range of athletes, from beginners all the way up to international Nordic skiing competitors.

Of course, it would depend on what form a field house takes, Haynes said, but provided it comes with multi-purpose offerings like some advocates have described, he believes the Nordic program could find a field house extremely helpful too, especially during the summer months when the Nordic skiers are focused on indoor training.

For the concept of a field house to become reality, it'll need land and funding, both to cover construction costs and the ongoing operational costs.

If one of the jurisdictions agreed to put up the necessary land, discussions could quickly turn to funding. Proponents believe the constructions costs could range in the ballpark of $20-25 million. The most likely way to pay for it could be through a mill levy, possibly imposed on a special recreation district that targets the people most likely to support and benefit from a field house.

They think a property tax could be framed in such a way that homeowners would barely notice the difference, if at all, much like the sales tax for workforce housing that hits shoppers for 6 cents for every $10 spent. After that, supporters hope fees from the user groups would cover the ongoing operational costs.

Summit Daily Link

Summit Endurance Academy to host slew of free ski mountaineering clinics, workouts

#Breckenridge #Colorado

Summit Daily

Summit Daily Link

Beginning Sept. 14 and running through Nov. 21, Breckenridge's Summit Endurance Academy will host 10 clinics and 12 workouts across the county specifically geared toward helping locals improve their ski mountaineering skills.

Ski mountaineering — also known as "skimo" — is an activity that requires athletes to traverse mountainous terrain using equipment specially designed for walking or "skinning" uphill as well as skiing downhill.

"I don't know of any coaching program that's doing a free community seminar series like this for skimo," said Summit Endurance Academy coach, skimo athlete and Breckenridge resident Joe Howdyshell. "They might have a running group and some talks, but this has definitely never been done for the uphill-skiing community."

Howdyshell added that the skimo clinics and workouts are free and open to any and all ability levels and ages. Demo gear will be provided when necessary. Attendees are encouraged to bring proper running attire, ski poles and water from home.

"We don't care how fast or experienced you are as long as you are curious and engaged," Howdyshell said.

The clinics will cover how to transition, how to have good technique and how to maintain gear, among other topics. The workouts will consist of skimo education and guided-workout portions.

"Our main theme is that 'skinning isn't just walking on skis,' Howdyshell said. "We want to teach the technique, strength, training, and gear selection to make people have their best winter of adventures yet."

The schedule includes "Dryland" workouts from 6-7:30 a.m. on: Sept. 14, Sept. 18, Sept. 25, Oct. 5, Oct. 19, Oct. 23, Oct. 30., Nov. 6 and Nov. 13. There will be dryland workouts from 9-11:30 a.m. on: Oct. 14, Nov. 4, Nov. 18. And there will also be a dryland technique clinic that emphasizes "ski-imitation work" from 9-11 a.m. on Sept. 30.

For more information on the locations of all of these specific workouts, go to: http://www.summitenduranceacademy.com/events/.

On Oct. 1, SEA will host an "Intro to Skimo" event from 6:30-7:30 p.m. at the Breckenridge Recreation Center. On Oct. 10, SEA will host an "Uphill Skiing Gear Clinic" from 6:30-7:30 p.m. at the Breck Rec Center. The following week — at the same time on Oct. 17 — there will be a "Transition Clinic" at the Breck Rec Center. The same clinic will occur at the same place and time on Nov. 7 and 21.

There is also an "Uphill Skiing Strength Clinic" scheduled for Nov. 14 from 6:30-8 p.m. at a yet-to-be determined location.

And on Oct. 24 from 6:30-7:30 p.m., SEA will host its 2018 Summit Skimo Kickoff at the Frisco Nordic Center.

Summit County 911 call center can now receive emergency text messages

#Summit County #Colorado

The Summit County 911 Center launched text-to-911 capabilities on Sept. 4, enabling members of the pubic to report emergencies and communicate with 911 dispatchers via text from mobile devices.

"Text to 911 is a great tool to have in our public safety toolbox," County Commissioner Karn Stiegelmeier said in a written statement. "For situations in which it's not possible or safe to call 911, this service could be a life saver."

Text to 911 is a valuable alternative to voice calls for those with speech or hearing impairments, in areas where voice connectivity is unavailable and in dangerous situations where making a phone call could jeopardize the caller's safety.

To use the new service, just open the texting application on a mobile device, enter "911" in the "To" field, type a message describing the emergency and send. A 911 dispatcher will receive the message at his or her console and respond via text. The dispatcher and the reporting party will be able to text back and forth to assess the situation and deploy the appropriate emergency personnel and resources.

If a disruption in internet service causes the text-to-911 system to be unavailable, a sender will receive an automated text notification that his or her message cannot be delivered. Emergency communications systems cannot yet receive photos or videos via text, but the call center will implement those functionalities as they become available.

The 911 center recommends that people use text-to-911 service only when it's not possible or safe to make a phone call. Dispatchers automatically receive a caller's location information from a phone call, but not from a text.

"The rule of thumb is, 'Call if you can. Text if you must,'" said Summit County 911 Center director Jerry Del Valle. "If a phone call is possible, it helps us get more information about your location, and it allows the dispatcher to gather information from you more quickly. But if you're in a circumstance where it's impossible to make a phone call, or it would put you in danger, use text to 911."

Emergency communications technology at the Summit County 911 Center will continue to be enhanced and upgraded over the course of the next several years, improving the speed and effectiveness with which it answers 911 calls and activates the appropriate public safety resources. The forthcoming upgrades will also improve dispatchers' ability to facilitate communication among responders during major incidents. Recent and future technological improvements at the 911 Center are funded through the Safety First Fund, approved by Summit County voters in November 2014.

Technology could transform transportation to the mountains, and fairly soon

#Colorado

Summit Daily

Summit Daily Link

The Colorado Department of Transportation doesn’t have much money to pay for big ideas. But big ideas are still bubbling at the state agency.

The Vail Town Council on Tuesday, Sept. 4, heard a presentation from Peter Kozinski, a one-man department for the department’s RoadX Program. That program is designed to envision how technology can improve the state’s transportation system.

Some of those ideas are far in the future: Kozinski said the mass market for fully automated cars is probably 50 years in the future.

But other ideas are starting work now.

Along the Interstate 70 mountain corridor, the department is now working with Panasonic on a “smart road” system.

That system uses existing car-to-car communication systems, linking those systems to roadside units that can tap into that communication. State snowplows will be able to use information from those car-based systems.

Off the I-70 corridor, CDOT is now installing a section of “smart” pavement in the Denver area. The next spot is a stretch of U.S. Highway 285 on Red Hill Pass, northeast of Fairplay. Using that technology, the road can notify officials about vehicle speeds and, most important, if a vehicle slides off that portion of the highway. That can be a literal life-saver if a vehicle slides off the road in a snowstorm or at night.

CHARGE AS YOU DRIVE

Another smart-pavement idea will allow electric vehicles to charge as they drive.

“If a vehicle can charge from the roadway, you can run an electric vehicle forever,” Kozinski said.

Powered lanes could turn CDOT into an energy provider, Kozinski said. That opens a number of regulatory and other questions, he added. On the other hand, officials are working to install inductive chargers on some roads leading to Denver International Airport. That could help create a fleet of electric-powered shuttles to and from the facility.

In the mountains, electric motors could be a boon to the trucking industry. Electric motors make peak power immediately and aren’t as affected by thin air and steep grades to the extent conventional engines are.

In addition to right-now technology, there are a couple of budding innovations that could fundamentally transform transportation in the state.

GOING EVEN FASTER

Hyperloop has identified Colorado as one of 10 potential test areas for technology that uses low-pressure tubes and electricity to send capsules full of cargo or people at speeds up to 700 mph.

The first test leg would run about 50 miles between Denver and Greeley. Kozinski noted that the Greeley route was chosen because there’s an abundance of flat, open land in that area.

If it’s built, the technology could run the Denver to Greeley route in as little as 6 minutes.

A trip to Vail from Denver could take 9 minutes. Kozinski said there have been discussions about not using the I-70 corridor, using the Highway 285 route instead. That would add a few minutes to the trip, he said.

In addition to Hyperloop, a shorter-distance technology called Arrivo envisions using shuttles at speeds of up to 200 mph. Kozinski said estimates for that system would make the cost to users about equivalent to tolls charged on the C-470 tollway on the east side of the Denver metropolitan area.

Paying for those systems will be daunting, but Kozinski said the state would partner with the private sector on projects. Once work begins and the technology proves itself, private investment could come quickly.

And, he added, that new technology is coming — and coming quickly.

“You need to think about how this is going to impact you,” Kozinski told council members. “How do you want to set yourselves up for this?”

Kozinski said a good first step would be a comprehensive inventory of the area’s transportation assets.

Mayor Dave Chapin asked how the new technology might work with a years-long dream of burying I-70 through Vail.

Kozinski said if Hyperloop technology comes to pass, there’s really no need.

While the idea of a quick trip to the Front Range is alluring, council member Greg Moffet said town and transportation officials need to have deeper conversations about budding technology.

“When it’s 30 minutes to downtown Denver, what does that do to us?” Moffet asked.

Those conversations need to happen fairly quickly.

“Both Hyperloop and Arrivo want to start building meaningful segments in the next three years,” Kozinski said.