Beefed-up Colorado traction law signed, will restrict 2WDs on I-70 in the mountains most of the year

#Colorado

Denver Post

Colorado’s winter driving restrictions on a mountain stretch of Interstate 70 will be in full force for nine months beginning Sept. 1 under a bill signed into law Friday by Gov. Jared Polis.

The beefed-up traction law takes particular aim at drivers of two-wheel-drive passenger vehicles. Each September through May, they will face the requirement of having specialized winter tires or carrying traction devices while traveling on I-70 between Dotsero and Morrison. The old traction law had been activated only before and during actual winter weather.

House Bill 1207 also increases the minimum tread depth for tires on all vehicles — including those with four-wheel-drive — from an eighth of an inch to three-sixteenths of an inch.

Though I-70 is the only highway corridor where the increased restrictions will be in effect for nine months a year, they will apply to other corridors when the state activates the traction law for storms.

“While the views can be breathtaking, the conditions can be downright frightening during the winter,” Polis said in remarks prepared for the afternoon bill-signing ceremony near the Eisenhower-Johnson Memorial Tunnel. “We know how dangerous they can be without having chains, tread depth or four-wheel drive. This bill will help keep drivers safer on the road.”

In approving the revisions, the legislature directed the Colorado Department of Transportation and the Colorado State Patrol to explore ways to step up enforcement of the traction law.

Drivers of vehicles without four-wheel-drive or all-wheel-drive can comply with the traction law by having either snow tires (with or without studs) or by using all-season tires with a mud/snow designation (often marked on the sidewall with “M+S”). But experts say the latter type are less effective on ice and in slush.

Owners of two-wheel-drive vehicles with standard tires can carry chains or an AutoSock set in the trunk to use when winter weather strikes.

Courtesy Denver Post.

After last year’s dry start, Summit County golf clubs expect ‘best conditions in years’ thanks to heavy snowpack

#Summit County #Colorado

Summit Daily

If you ask Keystone Resort PGA professional Phil Tobias, when it comes to start-of-season weather, golf-course pros and operators such as himself like everything to be “normal.”

As the golfing season gets underway this spring throughout Summit County, the question is: how close to “normal” are the conditions at local golf courses? Considering the copious snowfall the county received this winter, especially later in the season, how did it all affect courses throughout the county?

From Copper Creek Golf Course at the county’s westward boundary to Keystone at the east, the answer to that question is slightly different at each location. But all in all, leaders at several clubs say the golf grounds have emerged from beneath this spring’s snowpack looking better than they have in years. 

“I’ve been here 20 years,” Tobias said of Keystone’s River and Ranch golf courses, “and truly, this is one of the best years I’ve seen coming out of the winter at both courses.”

Last year, though some county courses were able to open early, dry spring weather affected the golf grounds in a different way. 

“It’s a 180. It’s not even comparable,” Tobias said of The River Course at Keystone’s condition. “We’re in awesome shape.”

The River Course opened for the season on Friday, a week before Keystone’s Ranch Course will open next Friday, May 24.

Moments after chatting in The River Course’s clubhouse, snow descended on the county. It was a reminder to golfers at the county’s two open courses, The River Course at Keystone and The Raven Golf Club at Three Peaks — which was the first county course to open earlier this month — that Old Man Winter hasn’t completely unfurled his grip on the High Country. 

For Tobias and Erroll Miller, the longtime director of golf operations at Breckenridge Golf Club, the key to a good start to golf season in the mountains revolves around Old Man Winter not blessing the county too much. Fortunately for Breckenridge Golf Club, Miller said the consistent insulation of a thick snow layer at the club throughout the winter, combined with some strong days of sunshine to melt the snow in recent weeks, has helped the club cultivate some of the best conditions, from tee to green, in years.

Considering how much more snow descended on Breckenridge compared to Keystone, Miller said the club’s maintenance work is a little behind. As a result, on Friday, May 24, Breckenridge will only open 18 of its 27 holes. Due to the more north-facing slope of the club’s Elk 9, it will open up a week after the Bear and Beaver 9s. Despite that, Miller is pleased with the success of the club’s agronomic practices since they applied fungicide in mid-March — during the height of this winter’s snowfall — to prevent snow mold on greens and tees.

The short-term drawback to all the snow: removal has been a hefty task. The long-term good news: the golf club likely won’t have to ration water like last year.

“It seems a lot of years the more snow we get, the better insulation we have from winds and desecration, et cetera,” Miller said. “We come out of it pretty darned good and, fortunately, 2019 is one of those years. … This year, with the amount of snow that the area received, we are ecstatic we are getting everything going next Friday. Usually by July 1, the course is in great shape. This year, gosh, by June 1 the course will be in great shape.

I’d say this is the best we’ve probably seen in four years.”

Over at Copper Creek Golf Course, golf pro Zach Dobrota said the plan is to open June 7, a week before Copper Mountain Resort will open up its on-mountain offerings for the summer season.

If any county golf course was hit hardest by this winter’s snowfall, it just might be Copper. Dobrota said on Friday the back nine of Copper’s course has some snow on it still. Dobrota said that next week Copper Creek crews will delve into portions of the shady back nine where 8-foot snow banks remain alongside the course.

But a lingering layer of insulation is better than, say, three separate freeze-thaw cycles on delicate, early spring sod. Dobrota said this time last year many of Copper’s putting surfaces were a kind of burnt-brown. This year, Dobrota described what he’s seen as looking like the best early-season golf conditions in his 13 years in the county.

“We need a little more snow to disappear to get our heads wrapped around what we are seeing,” he said. “But, so far, it’s looking awesome.”

Breckenridge approves lease for new parking garage

#Breckenridge #Colorado

Summit Daily

As expected, Breckenridge Town Council on Tuesday favored entering a 50-year lease with Vail Resorts allowing the town to build its long-awaited parking garage on Breckenridge Ski Resort’s South Gondola Lot.

The lease details a desired timeline, each party’s responsibilities and how they’ll split control and parking revenues. It also comes with options for the town to renew for two additional 10-year terms, giving Breckenridge a 70-year run with the parking structure.

Following months of negotiations with Vail Resorts — owner of Breckenridge Ski Resort — on the lease agreement, Tuesday’s discussion went fairly quick. Council members had only a few clarification questions about the proposed lease, and were highly complimentary of the effort to bolster parking with a new parking garage housing 950 parking spaces on the resort-owned surface parking lot. 

“The agreement spells out a lot of specifics related to what the process will look like — the planning period, the construction period — and it’s the intent to only have that lot closed down for one full ski season,” town manager Rick Holman said before the vote. “We’ve been working jointly with (Vail Resorts) for a number of months to get this hammered out, and we feel very good about where it’s at right now.”

After the unanimous vote, Mayor Eric Mamula expressed his gratitude for the work of Holman, assistant town manager Shannon Haynes and town attorney Tim Berry and for council’s approval of the agreement.  

“I just want to say thank you before we go any further,” the mayor said. “This has been a long, long process … this is a big deal.”

Courtesy Summit Daily.

FHFA head says Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac can be released without Congressional consent

A new report from Bloomberg's Austin Weinstein states that Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac may be freed from government control even if Congress doesn’t pass a housing-finance overhaul.

The statement came in an interview with the new head of the Federal Housing Finance Agency, Mark Calabria, who said lawmakers will get "more than sufficient time" to come up with a plan of their own.

Weinstein reports that the comments are a "clear sign that regulators and President Donald Trump’s administration aren’t counting on a legislative solution after more than a decade of failures to address the biggest piece of unfinished business from the 2008 financial crisis."

Lawmakers will get "at least an entire Congress" to act before the companies are freed, said Calabria, who took over at FHFA last month.

"That would put the target date beyond the 2020 presidential election," Weinstein adds.

The implication of Calabria's announcement is huge. One of the main reasons the government-sponsored enterprises did not yet get considered for a full release back into the public sector is the notion of a lack of political will to do so.

The previous administration left the GSEs to funnel money to the Treasury, only to never pay down their bailout — unusual for a rescued financial institution. The reasons for this special treatment were never fully understood, though conspiracy theories are not in short supply.

Calabria's decision would therefore circumvent the potential for further political gridlock on housing agency reform, and could actually result in an element of progress, which would be a new addition to the debate.

In the meantime, Fannie and Freddie continue to provide capital to the federal government, as they continue to post profits.

From the Bloomberg report:

"Since 2012, all of their profits have been sent to Treasury in a so-called net worth sweep that Calabria has said he has no immediate plans to end. He said he’s open to building capital quickly through initial public offerings for the companies, but isn’t certain that could generate all the capital they’d need.

“Even if it was the largest IPO in history it’s not clear that that could do that in one fell sweep,” he said. Eventually, capital ratios at Fannie-Freddie would need to “look like any other large financial institution,” he said.

Even given sufficient time, housing-finance legislation may not have enough support to pass a divided Congress. Multiple efforts to reform the system have failed in the years since the crisis, leaving the uncertain status of the mortgage giants the largest piece of unfinished business from that era."

Courtesy Jacob Gaffney, HousingWire newsletter.

Breckenridge closes in on South Gondola Lot parking garage

#Breckenridge #Colorado

Summit Daily

After months of closed-door discussions, a proposed long-term ground lease between the town of Breckenridge and the owner of Breckenridge Ski Resort looks ready for a vote.

At one time, few people thought such a deal was possible. However, the 44-page document lays out a path for the town to build its long-awaited parking garage on resort-owned land — and it’s set to come before Breckenridge Town Council on first reading Tuesday.

“If we don’t have any big hiccups … I think we should be golden,” said Mayor Eric Mamula, who helped negotiate the proposed lease with Vail Resorts and believes council will pass the measure. 

The mayor is so confident the deal will go through that he said the town has already started to wade into some of the planning work with a goal of moving dirt as soon as possible.

“Now that we’re going to have a deal done with Vail Resorts, we need to move fast so that we can get this thing going,” the mayor said. 

The proposed lease headlines a busy Tuesday agenda that includes topic discussions and anticipated votes on a number of big-ticket items, such as a franchise agreement related to the town’s efforts to build a high-speed fiber network, an annexation of the Kenington Townhomes and the adoption of a new destination management plan, which is meant to help guide the town’s future.

“We have all kinds of stuff going on,” Mamula said of the heavy load, adding that council is also scheduled to take up a land swap with the Summit School District and weigh requested changes to the previously approved Peak 8 development agreement during Tuesday’s worksession and regular meeting.

As for the parking garage, the proposed lease contains language about each party’s responsibilities, the construction schedule, financing, pricing, revenue distribution, maintenance and more.

Breckenridge was poised to start construction on a new parking garage on town-owned property last spring. However, those designs were scuttled when a late offer from Vail Resorts renewed hopes the town might pursue the project on land better suited for such a large, utilitarian structure.

Mamula had previously said he didn’t believe Vail Resorts would be willing to negotiate such a deal, but town officials and company representatives bridged the gap in December when they agreed to a term sheet setting up the framework for the proposed long-term ground lease.

As written, the lease would allow Breckenridge to build a parking garage on the South Gondola Lot, along with surface parking. Together they would have to produce at least 950 parking spaces, or 400 more than are currently on the dirt-surfaced South Gondola Lot.

The lease would come with an initial term of 50 years, beginning as soon as the town starts construction, and the town could extend the agreement for two additional 10-year terms.

The proposed lease describes “a planning period,” that would begin once the document is signed and end on July 1, 2020. During that time, both Vail Resorts and the town would have to agree on project designs, and the town would have to deliver preliminary plans no later than the end of March 2020.

While the lease sets out an anticipated timeline, it leaves some wiggle room in the event approval from the Colorado Department of Transportation, a necessary prerequisite, takes longer to materialize than expected.

Another stipulation in the lease mandates the town agrees to transfer all remaining density from the South Gondola Lot to other parcels in town owned by Vail Resorts or one of its affiliates. Mamula said this piece of the agreement largely pertains to the Peak 8 development, which had to secure extra density for that project.

The lease also details how the town and Vail Resorts will have to negotiate a permanent easements for a recreation path along the eastern edge of the South Gondola Lot and for a roundabout on resort-owned property at North Park Avenue and Watson Avenue, provided the roundabout is either required for CDOT approval or otherwise agreed to by both parties.

“The bike path is a huge path for me,” Mamula said of the resort’s concession, adding he believes the pathway could be a great solution to a dangerous situation in the area and bolster Breckenridge’s bigger plans to promote bicycle ridership.

Per the lease, the deadline for starting construction would be targeted for Aug. 1, 2020. If the town can begin construction by that date, Breckenridge would have until Nov. 1, 2021, to complete the project.

“The whole thought process is that (South Gondola) parking lot, as it exists right now, is only closed for one ski season,” Mamula said of the timeline, adding that neither Vail Resorts nor town officials want to take the parking lot offline any longer than necessary.

The lease contains some room for “excusable delays” along with protections for Vail Resorts in the event construction is stalled or the town defaults on the lease agreement, which could leave the town on the hook for millions of dollars in damages and late fees.

To finance the project, the town will have to adopt an ordinance offering certificates of participation with the certificates running a maximum term of 25 years. Mamula likened this to issuing a bond.

The amount the town pays in “rent” will be decided by a formula based on the number of parking spaces currently on the lot, revenue generated by the property and other factors, while the company and town will share responsibilities for setting pricing at different times of the year.

Describing the negotiations, Mamula said they covered a lot of ground before both parties agreed to the proposed lease. He said each side compromised along the way in “a business-like” discussion and applauded the give-and-take.

“I’m pretty happy about where we are right now,” he said. “It’s a little nerve-racking, but it’s a good place to be.”

Courtesy Summit Daily

Summit County’s adoptable pets for the week of May 12

#Summit County #Colorado

Summit Daily

The following animals are available for adoption at the Summit County Animal Shelter. For questions, please contact the shelter at 970-668-3230.

CATS

MISSY, 7 years, Domestic Mediumhair, tortie, spayed female 

BUGSBY, 6 years, Domestic Shorthair, black, spayed female

LARRY, 3 years, Domestic Longhair, orange and white, neutered male 

FRANKLIN, 4 years, Domestic Shorthair, black and white, neutered male

MISS KITTY, 7 years, Norwegian Forest Cat, tortie and apricot, spayed female

CATALONIA, 7 years, Domestic Shorthair mix, white and gray, spayed female

MR BISCUIT, 7 years, Domestic Shorthair, gray tab and black tiger, neutered male

NYLES, 9 months, Domestic Shorthair, black, neutered male

LIBBY, 11 months, Domestic Shorthair, white and orange, spayed female

LILY, 11 months, Domestic Shorthair, white and orange, spayed female

PENELOPE, 2 years, Domestic Shorthair, gray tab, spayed female

BUTTONS, 1 year 6 months, Domestic Shorthair, black and white, spayed female

POPPY, 7 weeks, Domestic Shorthair, calico, spayed female

PANDA, 7 weeks, Domestic Shorthair, white and black, neutered male

PIGEON, 7 weeks, Russian Blue mix, gray and white, neutered male

PIP, 7 weeks, Domestic Shorthair, white and black, spayed female

REECE, 6 weeks, Domestic Mediumhair, gray and white, spayed female

RICKY, 6 weeks, Domestic Mediumhair, gray, neutered male

ROMEO, 4 weeks, Domestic Mediumhair, gray and white, neutered male

VALE, 1 year 6 months, Domestic Shorthair, gray tab and white, neutered male

IRIS, 2 years, Domestic Shorthair, brown tabby, spayed female

BINX, 9 months, Domestic Shorthair, black, neutered male

DOGS

RUDY, 4 months, Labrador retriever mix, black, neutered male

MABEL, 4 years, Irish terrier mix, red and white, spayed female

BLUE, 5 years, greyhound and Alaskan husky mix, brown, neutered male 

WILLOW, 4 years, greyhound and Alaskan husky mix, black, spayed female

LOLA, 1 year 6 months, Siberian husky and pit bull terrier mix, tan and white, spayed female

TIGER, 2 years, American bulldog mix, brindle and white, neutered male

SHANE, 1 year 1 month, Chihuahua — smooth coated, blonde, neutered male

THEON, 1 year, Italian greyhound and Chihuahua — smooth coated mix, black and tan, neutered male

CHANCE, 5 years, boxer mix, tan and black, neutered male

OTHER

PEEP, no age, Guinea pig, black and tan, unaltered female

JELLY BEAN, no age, Guinea pig, black, unaltered female

The Town of Breckenridge is launching an education campaign called "Keep Breck's Trails Doody-Free" to encourage residents to do a better job picking up after their dogs.

#Breckenridge #Colorado

Summit Daily

The town of Breckenridge is launching an informal education campaign to get dog owners to properly clean up after their dogs. The campaign and event, “Keep Breck’s Trails Doody-Free,” comes on the heels of the Carter Park dog area closing recently due to excess dog feces left over from the winter.

In a video produced to launch the campaign, Breckenridge Open Space and Trails manager Anne Murphy is joined by Councilman Jeffrey Bergeron to urge Breck residents to clean up after their dogs. Dog poop, as the video details, can spread over 60 diseases to humans, aside from the many transmitted between dogs.

As part of the effort to get Breck residents to keep better tabs on where their dogs do their business, the town will have a “Keep Breck Trails Doody-Free” poop pickup event where volunteers can help clean up Breckenridge’s trails by collecting dog poop left on the trails over winter. “I think this will be a perfect first date for you Summit singles,” Bergeron said in the video. The date of the event has yet to be determined. The video launching the campaign can be viewed at Youtu.be/ULcTtK-WI8M.

Courtesy Summit Daily

Breckenridge’s trail troll reborn at heartstone-placing ceremony at new home

#Breckenridge #Colorado

Summit Daily

All fairy tales deserve a happy ending. In the case of Isak Heartstone, the Breckenridge trail troll, it’s a happy rebirth.

After being dismantled last year amid safety and traffic concerns at its original location near the Wellington neighborhood, the beloved and popular 15-foot-tall wooden troll has been rebuilt and restored to its former glory at a new, serene location behind Stephen C. West Ice Arena on Boreas Pass Road at the south end of town.

On Friday morning, troll creator and Danish artist Thomas Dambo was on hand to restore Isak’s namesake heartstone to his restored wooden body, which was constructed from recycled wood pallets gathered by volunteers from around town.  

The perfectly heart-shaped rock was found by local girls Tori and Lexi Garner, and Jade and Paige Batdorff near Isak’s original home, and they were on hand to each give the heart a kiss before handing it to Dambo, who reached through a hole and placed it inside Isak’s cavernous chest — hopefully for the final time.

 Dambo then attached the last wood slats over Isak’s chest, finishing the project and bringing the troll back to life for a community that missed him. Dambo attributed the outpouring of grief and joy at Isak’s demise and return to the desire many have to preserve a little piece of a fairy tale world in our ordinary lives.

“I think a lot of people like to hear about these old folklore stories — like knights on horses, stories from the old days of Europe — and trolls are part of the old folklore and the old mythology,” said Dambo, who now builds the trolls full-time around the world with projects currently underway in Belgium, Denmark and China. “It makes it interesting for a lot of Americans, as they don’t have that kind of old history and mythology.”

Dambo was joined by Breckenridge and Summit County officials and staff as they took the short walk along an unfinished trail from the Illinois Gulch trailhead to the troll’s new digs in a nest of pine trees, where Isak now sits at his new throne, holding on to a nearby tree for support.

The troll and its associated trail are still closed for public visitation while the town of Breckenridge finishes building the trail, which runs parallel to a small stream and under a lush wooded canopy for about a hundred yards before reaching the troll.

Breckenridge Open Space and Trails manager Anne Murphy said that the town is planning to build necessary amenities around the troll, which is expected to be open to the public by early June.

“We are trying to make a very sustainable trail, as we’re expecting a lot of people visiting,” Murphy said. “We want to make sure it’s a durable and sustainable surface, using a lot of rock material.”

Aside from the trail to Isak, a boardwalk is being created as an exit path away from the troll. The boardwalk is being built above the ground to avoid drainage issues to a nearby wetland.

The area will also get new signage, picnic tables, bike racks, as well as trash and recycling containers. The trailhead is located next to bus stops for the Free Ride and Summit Stage bus routes, offering easy access to visitors and residents alike.

As far as Isak himself, the troll is built out of all recycled materials, reflecting Dambo and Breckenridge’s shared commitment to preserving the environment and endorsing the core idea of sustainability.

Murphy said Isak was made out of all-natural materials, and based on the shape of Dambo’s other projects, is expected to hold up over time. Dambo had previously estimated that the previous incarnation of Isak would be able to survive in the mountain elements for at least three years.

The troll was originally built as part of an outdoor summer art installation put on by Breckenridge Creative Arts last year. Isak was originally located about a half-mile down a windy, unfinished trail and adjacent to a rock quarry, where he “collected” rocks into a pile in front of him in order to, as Dambo relays it, build his own mountain in the mountains.

Breckenridge spokeswoman Haley Littleton said that the town intended for Isak to have a permanent home this time, avoiding the drama surrounding the troll after its popularity overwhelmed the area and its residents with visitors. Tens of thousands visited Isak before he was evicted.

The town was forced to remove Isak amid resident complaints of traffic and noise, dismantling the troll unannounced one early morning. The subsequent emotional community backlash led the town to negotiate with Dambo to rebuild the troll at his new location away from homes, with easy access and a safer trail leading to him. The town commissioned the rebuilding for $20,000, with $5,000 to pay expenses for Dambo and his crew.

Summit County Commissioner Elisabeth Lawrence, who as a former Breckenridge town council member helped lead the effort to restore Isak alongside councilwoman Wendy Wolfe, said that she was thrilled to see the troll back in town.

“I think it’s so special that Breckenridge has this; other resort towns don’t have a troll, he’s ours,” Lawrence said. “He’s gone through some adversity, but he’s back, and I think it’s a special story.”

Aside from the real-life yarn spun around Isak, Dambo has created an entire fairy tale narrative about Isak and 50 other trolls he has built around the world.

In the new story he’s added to the narrative, titled “While the Weather Got Better,” Isak spent the winter visiting his family in Kentucky — where his wife, Loumari, and two children Elina and Nis live.

While there, Isak and Loumari conceived another baby. But once the seasons started to turn and the weather started getting better, Isak felt the call of the High Country. Dambo writes:

“But now the ice was melted, and Isak looked to the mountain.

He knew he had to go back, and put his big arms around them.

A hug and a kiss, Nis, Elina, Loumari

‘I will be back again soon’ he yelled, walking the prairie.”

Even though he’s back home, Isak Heartstone is not seeing visitors yet. The town will continue to build the trail and surrounding amenities, and expects to have the site open to the public by the first few weeks of June.

Courtesy Summit Daily.