In Brief: Early cash for Frisch; bidding opens to sit with Margaret Atwood; um, no to $10 million restroom bid
Early donations roll in for Frisch campaign
The Adam Frisch campaign for Colorado’s 3rd Congressional District has raised half a million dollars since Tuesday’s announcement that Frisch would again challenge U.S. Rep. Lauren Boebert, his campaign announced.
“I want to extend my deepest gratitude to every single donor who has already contributed to this campaign. Whether you donated $2 or $200, it is because of your generous support that we enter this race in a position of strength,” he said. “The outpouring of support we have received this week is a testament to the fact that people in this district and across the nation are ready for Boebert’s angertainment circus to stop. The people of western and southern Colorado deserve a leader who will focus on the needs of the district to protect our water, create jobs, and achieve energy independence – not one like Boebert who is only focused on herself. I’m more confident than ever that we will defeat Rep. Boebert in 2024.”
In addition to surpassing $500,000 in fundraising since Tuesday, the campaign received donations from all 27 counties in the district and from all 50 states in addition to military donors, spokespeople said. So far, there have been over 12,300 individual donations, they said.
Frisch held an in-person launch event Wednesday with supporters in Pueblo, his first campaign stop on his first tour of the 2024 election cycle. He said he logged over 24,000 miles traveling the district and holding public town halls during his previous campaign.
Margaret Atwood to headline annual Book Ball in June
Aspen Words is taking bids for seats at the head table with two-time Booker Prize winner Margaret Atwood, perhaps best known as the author of the “The Handmaiden’s Tale.”
She’ll be the guest of honor at the benefit dinner Tuesday, June 20, during the annual Aspen Words Writers Conference.
A dozen seats are available and open for bidding through noon on Thursday, March 2. While the author and poet is the main attraction, premier wine and dedicated wait staff and a signed book for each guest at the table are other inducements.
Tables and individual ticket sales open to the public May 4. For more information: aspenwords.org/support/bookball.
Avon turns down bid to build $10 million public bathroom
The Avon Town Council unanimously rejected the only bid that it received to construct bathrooms at Nottingham Park after the price came in at over four times the estimated budget for the project.
The town received one bid from A.D. Miller Services Inc., a contractor based out of Centennial, at $10.4 million for the 41-stall restroom building on the east side of the park and $3.5 million for a six-stall restroom facility at the north side near the beach and volleyball courts. At nearly $14 million, the total proposed cost is far beyond the original estimate of $3.4 million.
All seven council members balked at the heavy price tag, with Chico Thuon highlighting the disturbing reality that the construction of the east side bathrooms would cost twice as much as the Performance Pavilion itself.
“Why is the toilet going to cost more than the stage?” he said. “I can’t say yes to this type of spending. It would be a catastrophe for me to say that we need to spend $10 million on toilets. We might get away with porta potties for a little longer.”
Presidents’ Day just another school day in Eagle County
This year, local families may notice something new about the Eagle County School District calendar: Students have to report to school on Presidents’ Day. In previous years, the district’s mid-winter break fell over this holiday. However, this year, the district’s February break falls a week later, with students reporting to classrooms on the bank holiday.
Every few years, the Eagle County School District convenes a group of administrators, parents, and teachers to review the school-year calendar. The calendars are created for three years at a time, with the most recent 2022-23, 2023-24, and 2024-25 school years approved by the Board of Education in October 2021.
Moving this year’s February break to the week after the holiday was one of the bigger changes made by the calendar committee for these school-year calendars.
When considering the change, the committee relied on survey results from a bilingual survey sent to the district’s parents and staff. The district received over 1,400 responses in this survey.
Collectively, the data on February break was somewhat inconclusive, with 39% of respondents saying it should be the week of Presidents’ Day, 38% saying it should be a different week, and 24% expressing “no opinion.” However, when disaggregated, 50% of teachers supported having the break the week of the holiday, and 41% of parents supported having it a different week.
The committee is charged with balancing numerous requirements and priorities, including everything from set student contact days and statewide testing periods to the realities of living in a resort community and maximizing teacher recruitment.
“Our charge was to design a calendar that was best for student success. This is not about what I want, it’s not about what you want; it is what is best for the students,” said Adele Wilson, the district’s chief human resources officer and chair of the committee, at the Oct. 6, 2021, Board of Education meeting.
Hot-air balloons coming back to Steamboat
The Yampa Valley Balloon Rodeo is back on for this summer after the longstanding event took a hiatus last year.
Karen Beauvais of Coldwell Banker Distinctive Properties of Steamboat Springs on Thursday, Feb. 16, said she is spearheading organizational and planning efforts for the balloon rodeo this summer, which will be July 29-30.
The balloon rodeo has been hosted by a handful of groups over the years, including most recently by the Steamboat Pilot & Today. However, the event went offline last summer when the leadership at the Pilot & Today decided the newspaper could no longer continue to organize the balloon rodeo due to limited resources. The Pilot & Today had tried to find another group or organization willing to take on the effort but was unsuccessful.
Now a new organizer has stepped in.
“We’re really happy to see the ballon rodeo return,” said Bonnie Stewart, publisher of the Steamboat Pilot & Today. “We were disappointed that we had to cancel last year’s event, but we are thrilled to see it return to the valley.”
