In Brief: Moose limits Nordic race course; no one hurt in house fire; 3rd Congressional District jockeying begins
Moose on loose restricts Owl Creek Chase
The Owl Creek Chase Nordic race on Sunday will take place entirely in Aspen due to the ongoing presence of moose at Buttermilk, organizers announced.
The Owl Creek Trail between Snowmass Village and Aspen will not be used, as the trail crosses the base of Buttermilk. Instead, expect Nordic racers on the trails at the Aspen schools campus, Moore Open Space and the Aspen golf course, they said.
The event begins at 9 a.m. on the lower ballfield at Aspen Middle School.
No one hurt in Canyon Creek house fire
Firefighters from Glenwood Springs and New Castle responded to a house fire along U.S. Highway 6, adjacent to Interstate 70, west of Canyon Creek Thursday afternoon.
The report came at 4:41 p.m. of a fire involving a single-story structure, according to a Glenwood Springs Fire Department news release issued Thursday evening after the fire was put out. No one was injured, and the cause remains under investigation.
Both Glenwood Fire and Colorado River Fire Rescue crews responded, with three fire engines, three water tenders, two ambulances, and three command vehicles along with 20 firefighters from the two departments.
Glenwood inches forward with South Bridge project
Glenwood Springs City Engineer Terri Partch presented the city’s ongoing transportation study and a South Bridge project update to the Garfield County commissioners Tuesday morning.
“In Glenwood, we see the growth in traffic, especially with what this data shows us, so much of it is just intrinsic to Garfield County,” Shelley Kaup, Glenwood Springs City Council member said while co-presenting with Partch. “So what can we do within the county to help our whole community travel and commute better?”
Partch presented the study, along with progress on the South Bridge project and the LoVa (Lower Valley) trail efforts in South Canyon. The same information was presented to Glenwood Springs City Council on Feb. 2.
County commissioners made it clear that they had no interest in owning or maintaining the South Bridge, nor were they interested in helping to fund it. They suggested looking for more federal funding instead.
“On South Bridge, we just passed a really big milestone. The state, a week or so ago, allowed us to go to the right-of-way acquisition phase for South Bridge,” Partch said. “We had our right-of-way acquisition kickoff meeting yesterday, and we’re going to begin that process and we are fully funded with the project through this year.”
She said that by the end of this year, the city will be complete on design and they are anticipating to start a bidding process in the fall of 2025. Construction funding is currently what the city is hoping to find.
Jockeying already begins for 3rd Congressional District
Oil and gas put food on Debby Burnett’s table. Her husband, Greg Roberts, worked two years on a rig in the Piceance Basin near Rifle.
Burnett currently also operates a small hay-baling operation down in Gunnison County. Roberts hauls the hay cross-county for his trucking business. In addition to ranching, Dr. Burnett operates Mountain Legacy Veterinary Center in Gunnison.
Why does any of this matters?
Burnett, a Democrat who plans to soon announce her candidacy for Colorado’s highly-contentious, high-profile 3rd Congressional District, aims to use her rural background to galvanize the same Western Slope constituents who feel their voices still turn mute, not just on the Front Range but on Capitol Hill.
“I think there’s such a disconnect between rich white guys who jump into races just to run for Congress and the actual voters,” she told the Post Independent on Thursday. “And the people that live in rural areas of America — but definitely here in western and southern Colorado.”
The November 2022 General Election was one for the ages. Former Aspen City Councilperson and Roaring Fork Valley businessman Adam Frisch almost unseated controversial two-year Republican incumbent Lauren Boebert. Frisch, however, was eventually overtaken in the vote count three days after election night.
But before Frisch conceded, final results showed him winning some swing Western Slope counties, like Alamosa and Huerfano.
Slifer Smith & Frampton co-founder makes state Hall of Fame
Mark Smith, a founding principal and managing partner of Slifer Smith & Frampton and a founding principal of East West Partners and Union Station Neighborhood Company, was inducted into the Colorado Business Hall of Fame in Denver on Feb. 6.
The Hall of Fame honors outstanding individuals who have made legendary contributions to the free enterprise system and provide inspiration for the next generation.
“I couldn’t be more honored to receive this prestigious award alongside such a distinguished group of friends and colleagues,” Smith said. “It has been my life’s work and greatest pleasure to help shape the future of some of Colorado’s most iconic places and I appreciate this recognition tremendously.”
The 2023 laureates were inducted on Feb. 6 at the 34th Colorado Business Hall of Fame Dinner at the Hyatt Regency Denver at Colorado Convention Center. Laureates are selected for their enduring and innovative professional contributions to Colorado, inspirational and ethical acumen, and philanthropic endeavors. The annual event, hosted by Junior Achievement – Rocky Mountain, Inc. and the Denver Metro Chamber of Commerce, honored five of Colorado’s most distinguished and influential business leaders by recognizing their professional accomplishments and long-term impact on the state’s economy, and philanthropic contributions to the community.
Industry pros promote regional approach to housing crisis at summit
Habitat for Humanity Roaring Fork Valley hosted the “Solving the Housing Crisis: A Regional Summit on Equitable Solutions” at Aspen Meadows on Wednesday. The event featured a series of sessions and panels divided by expertise.
