In Brief: Longer ski days; deadline looms for writers conference; free rentals for uphilling Friday morning
Aspen Snowmass to extends hour at all mountains
Beginning Saturday, all mountains will start extended hours for daily operations. Extended lift hours:
Aspen Mountain
- Silver Queen Gondola and Ajax Express open to 4 p.m.
- FIS open to 4 p.m.
- Last ride down on Gondola at 4:30 p.m.
Highlands:
- Exhibition open to 4 p.m.
- Loge open to 3:30 p.m.
Buttermilk:
- Summit Express open to 4 p.m.
Snowmass:
- Big Burn and Elk Camp Gondola open to 4 p.m.
- Village Express: 4 p.m. summit; 4:15 p.m. mid-station.
Deadline Friday for Aspen Words summer workshop applications
Its last call for applications to juried writing workshops at the Aspen Summer Words Writers Conference & Literary Festival scheduled for June 18-23 in Snowmass. The deadline is 5 p.m., Friday.
The workshops this year are in fiction, book editing, memoir, middle grade, personal essay, poetry, and sci-fi/fantasy. The cost for applying is $35, and a writing sample is required. The organizers ask that applicants carefully read all manuscript guidelines before applying.
All workshop descriptions and faculty bios available at aspenwords.org.
Registration for the non-juried Readers’ Retreat, led by Luis Alberto Urrea, and the Open Writing workshop, led by Victoria Redel, is available on a first come, first served basis.
Ute Mountaineer hosts morning social atop Buttermilk
Ute Mountaineer is offering free uphill ski rentals for participants at the Uphill Social at 8:45 a.m. at the Cliffhouse restaurant on Buttermilk.
Pick up is Thursday after 2 p.m. at the Ute for as long as supplies last and return Friday by noon. The store also will have giveaways from RAB, Smartwool, and the North Face, though they say sweat and smiles are free.
Part of Basalt’s Midland Avenue to close for sewer-line installation
The Basalt Sanitation District will be installing new sewer lines on Midland Avenue between the bridge over the Roaring Fork River to the intersection with Two Rivers Road, town officials said.
Construction will begin on Monday with an anticipated end date of April 5. The project will close Midland Avenue between the Basalt Regional Library and Two Rivers Road from 7 a.m. to 5 p.m., Monday through Friday. From 5 p.m. and 7 a.m. between Monday through Friday and all day and night Saturday and Sunday, there will be one lane of traffic controlled by traffic lights. All parking along this section of Midland Avenue will be closed.
“Our sewer lines are 50 years old,” said Ian Quillan, Basalt sanitation district administrator. “Maintaining our infrastructure saves our customers money in the long-run and is the responsible thing to do. The upgrade will make our system more efficient.”
Residents and businesses of Gold Rivers Court will have controlled access to their parking lot during the sewer line project.
Officials encouraged drivers to enter Basalt via the upvalley and downvalley intersections of Highway 82 and Two Rivers Road.
Blood donors needed
Non-profit blood services provider Vitalant urges eligible donors to help meet a critical patient need for blood donations, offering a $10 Amazon.com gift card to donors this month.
February is also Heart Health Month. In addition to helping save lives, officials said, Vitalant donors receive a free mini-physical checking their pulse, blood pressure, and cholesterol level.
Donors of every blood type are needed, and the need is most severe for type O blood. O-negative is the universal blood type that can be transfused to any patient when there’s no time to match. O-positive is the most in-demand and transfused blood type. Platelet donations are also critically needed every day. About 50% of platelet donations go to help cancer patients.
For more information, visit vitalant.org, download and use the Vitalant app, or call 877-25-VITAL (877-258-4825).
Glenwood parking garage to close for a couple of weeks
Both the lower level and the upper level of the parking garage at 9th Street and Cooper Avenue in Glenwood Springs will be closed to the public for beginning Thursday, Feb. 23, through 5 p.m. on Tuesday, March 7. All vehicles must be moved from the garage before 12:01 a.m. on Feb. 23 or may be towed at the owner’s expense, city officials said.
Alternate downtown parking options can be found at cogs.us/ParkDowntown. For questions, contact Bryana Starbuck at bryana.starbuck@cogs.us or 970-384-6441.
