In Brief: Forest Service taking bidders for new ranger station; Symbion Design honored

U.S. Forest Service office in Carbondale to be replaced

Plans to redevelop the aging Aspen-Sopris Ranger District compound in Carbondale are advancing with the opening of the construction bidding process, the U.S. Forest Service announced.

The current facility is no longer meeting the needs of the district and is not cost-effective to maintain, officials said.  

The existing office building was initially constructed in 1939 as the district ranger’s residence, with the visitor information area added in 1995. 

“The existing facility was never designed for its current use,” said Aspen-Sopris District Ranger Kevin Warner. “Currently, employees are working out of basement offices and two separate buildings, and the conference room isn’t big enough to hold a regular staff meeting.”

A 6,800-square-foot building will be constructed on the site after the three existing buildings are removed. The new building is intended to better meld with existing buildings and structures in the downtown Carbondale area.

Work is expected to begin in early 2024 and last 18-24 months. There may be some closures along the neighboring sidewalks. While two spruce trees will be removed as part of the redevelopment, the large spruce tree at Weant Boulevard and Main Street, which is decorated each holiday season will not be affected, officials said. 

Local contractors are encouraged to submit bids. For more information about the bidding process, including a July 27 pre-bid site visit, contact Mike Ross, (970) 846-6864. Bids will be accepted through Aug. 21.

Symbion Design receives national recognition

Basalt-based Symbion Design received national recognition from the Porsche Club of America in June at the National Porsche Club Convention in Palm Springs.  

Symbion Design brought home 4 First Place awards, as well as two Second Place awards for graphic design and website design. Firm owner Bill Simon accepted the trophies at the awards ceremony on behalf of Symbion Design (SymbionDesign.com). 

For the PCA Newsletter Contest, regions compete in one of six classes, based on region membership. Basing the classes on region membership is intended to ensure that regions competing for the six separate class awards have reasonably equal resources. The evaluation criteria are: information and navigation, overall layout and appearance, editorial commentary, event publicity, photography and artwork, technical articles, article contributions from members, and general scope and variety. 

For the PCA National Website Contest, region and zone websites are judged for: editorial excellence, design effectiveness, user friendliness, up-to-date content, and usefulness to their respective regions, zones, and members. 

This year’s convention was held June 18-24 in Palm Springs, California. Some 1,800 participants from across the United States, Canada and abroad attended the conference to enhance their technical skills, broaden their knowledge base, expand their networks, and participate in more than 60 automotive-related competitive and non-competitive events. 

Valley View to host virtual Community Town Hall

Valley View is invites the community to its virtual Community Town Hall via Zoom, at noon on Tuesday, July 25. The discussion will be led by Valley View leaders and providers including Gary Knaus, MD, long-time family physician with Roaring Fork Family Practice.

During this virtual event, Valley View will share its recent work and community investments over the past year and discuss its ongoing strategy for the upcoming year. Viewers are invited to ask questions and share their perspectives on the health of the community.