In Brief: Pitkin to redraw commissioner districts; CMC play; emergency bridge work on I-70

Pitkin to redraw commissioner districts

The Pitkin County Board of County Commissioners will review three alternatives for redrawing its commissioner districts during public meetings that begin April 18. The new boundaries will be in effect for elections in 2024. 

Reviewing and revising commissioner district boundaries is required every 10 years by Colorado statute, following each federal census. Though the last census was finished in 2020, the state Legislature postponed the deadline for counties to complete the redistricting process until this year. 

The main goal of redistricting is to ensure that commissioner districts are as close to equal in population as possible. There can be no more than a 5% deviation between the most populous and the least populous district. The 2020 census established the existing commissioner districts, adopted in 2011, have a 15.07% variance between the least and most populous districts.

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The board will also consider other criteria as it studies the three options presented by county staff, including retaining “communities of interest” such as neighborhoods, special districts, and geographical boundaries. 

The options in more detail: storymaps.arcgis.com/collections/18ad6cccbfec40b896e46294a785b233

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The public is invited to weigh in on the proposed options. First reading of the redistricting proposal is scheduled for April 26, with a 30-day public comment period prior to the May 24 second reading.

CMC to present “Frankenstein”

Sopris Theatre Company will present “Frankenstein: The Monster/The Man?” – a new musical based on Mary Shelley’s classic novel – at the New Space Theatre at Colorado Mountain College Spring Valley from April 14-23.  

Los Angeles-based playwright and composer Carol Weiss brings her original work to CMC to beg the question: Can you tell the monster from the man? This musical tells of the grief that motivates Victor Frankenstein’s despair and isolation that brings revenge from his creation. 

According to Brad Moore, CMC theatre operations manager, Weiss’ work “has a beautiful score and is a deeply moving revisiting of this well-known story.”

Directed by Moore, musical direction is by Dory Light with choreography by Eric Chase. Set design is by R. Thomas Ward. The cast: Michael Banks, Jess Bowler, Gerald DeLisser, Jay Edmonds, Bostyn Elswick, Lindsey Hamilton, Mitch Kucera, Courtney Lindgren, Lydia Mitchell, Hattie Rensberry, Ashley Sprenger Morgan Walsh, Christopher Wheatley, Pax Wild, Ben Williams, and Travis Wilson. 

The curtain will go up for “Frankenstein: The Monster/The Man?” at 7 p.m., April 14-15 and 21-22 at 7 p.m.; and at 2 p.m. April 16 and 23 at the New Space Theatre, CMC Spring Valley at Glenwood Springs, 3000 County Road 114. Two virtual streaming options will be offered on Saturday, April 15 and Friday, April 21. Admission is $20 for adults and $15 for students, seniors, CMC faculty, and staff. Tickets are available at our.show/frankenstein. 

For more information, contact Brad Moore at 970-947-8187 or bmoore@coloradomtn.edu, or visit coloradomtn.edu/theatre.

Emergency bridge work east of Eisenhower Tunnel

Clear Creek County — On April 10, the Colorado Department of Transportation will begin an emergency bridge rehabilitation project on eastbound Interstate 70 just east of the Eisenhower Tunnel. Work will take place along eastbound I-70 at Mile Point 216 on the bridge over US 6/Loveland Pass.

CDOT officials said the bridge rehab is necessary after a large pothole formed on the highway in mid-March in which temporary repairs were made, but now a more durable fix will take place.

This work will take about a month and a half, with the majority of traffic impacts occurring during non-peak nighttime hours, but some daytime work will be necessary as well. No work will take place on weekends or holidays.

Traffic Impacts, according to CDOT: 

• Most work will take place Sunday through Thursday nights from 9 p.m. to 9 a.m. 
• Daytime work will happen occasionally for some work that requires warmer temperatures.
• Drivers can expect single-lane closures, meaning traffic along eastbound I-70 will be reduced to one lane during the project’s working hours.
• Drivers should also anticipate reduced speeds and uneven pavement surfaces in the work zone until the project is complete.
• Work is anticipated to wrap up by the end of May.

Rifle hit with cease-and-desist order for copper discharge

The Colorado Department of Public Health and Environment in 2020 issued a violation/cease-and-desist order to the city of Rifle for discharging a higher-than-allowed amount of dissolved copper into the Colorado River through its wastewater treatment center.

Dissolved copper regulations are designed to protect wildlife species and that setting such conservative discharge limits for constituents like metals is standard practice when dealing with critical habitat, according to state officials. 

On Wednesday morning, the city responded by announcing it’s going to pursue a supplemental environmental project in lieu of receiving a $185,000 fine.

City Manager Tommy Klein said the project involves conducting a study on the city’s storm water system that discharges into Rifle Creek.

“We’re thinking that we can control the sediment,” he said. As to why the violation wasn’t announced earlier? “We were not able to discuss the violation during the negotiation phase of the SEP.”

According to the compliance notice, Rifle’s wastewater treatment facility experienced 13 daily maximum copper and 10 monthly average copper violations between 2015 and 2020.

Valley View breast cancer talk April 19

On Wednesday, April 19, at 6 p.m., Valley View Breast Surgeon Betsy Brew, MD and Calaway-Young Cancer Center Radiation Oncologist Peter Rossi, MD will present “Survivorship and Lifestyle Recommendations Post Breast Cancer,” a virtual discussion via Zoom. The presentation is part of Valley View University, a series of free educational webinars hosted by Valley View.

In this 20-minute webinar, followed by an open Q&A, Dr. Brew and Dr. Rossi will discuss survivorship and lifestyle recommendations to improve quality of life post-breast cancer treatment. This webinar is aimed at women of any stage of life who want to learn more about breast health.

Moose moves in to apartment complex

STEAMBOAT SPRINGS — The center courtyard at Mountain Village Apartments is normally a place where residents can walk their dogs or visit with neighbors as they make their way to the parking areas. That was before a moose moved into the area for a few days last week.

One resident in the apartments said the moose has been lunging at people as they make their way through the courtyard, causing concern because the pathways that crisscross the area are frequently used by residents, children, and pet owners.

The resident reported that several neighbors had even reached out to the Steamboat Springs Police Department’s dispatch but were told there was little that could be done.

“We understand this is moose territory and the ski mountain has made life hard for them especially during this heavy winter,” the resident wrote in an email to the Steamboat Pilot & Today on Friday, March 31. “But for the moose to linger like this has been nerve-racking.”

Other residents said having the moose in the courtyard for a couple of days last week did not disrupt their daily routines, and they added that seeing moose around is expected when you live in a mountain community like Steamboat Springs.

“There’s very little that we can do regarding a moose. Essentially, all we do is try to make sure that we keep people away from it, but we don’t have any means or methods to move it along,” said Sgt. Evan Noble of the Steamboat Springs Police Department. “We generally don’t respond to those calls unless the moose is being aggressive toward people. That’s something that we usually just have wildlife respond to and handle.”

David Rehak Suma, district wildlife manager for Colorado Parks and Wildlife, explained that trying to get a moose to move can be tricky and, in most cases, doesn’t really resolve the problem.

Work resumes soon on I-70 near Frisco

The Colorado Department of Transportation, in cooperation with Ames Construction, will resume work on the Summit County I-70 Auxiliary Lane Project in mid-April. The project began last spring, took a winter break, and is anticipated to be completed this fall.

An initial impact to travelers will be the I-70 overlook east of Frisco’s on-ramp (Exit 203), official said. Currently, there is a small closure inside the overlook. A full closure will take place Monday, April 10, for the duration of the project for construction staging. Crews will then begin work by re-striping lanes for the new traffic pattern on eastbound I-70 and setting barrier east of Exit 203 at Frisco. The new traffic pattern will allow workers to widen the outside eastbound lanes in the construction zone. Last year, inside widening was completed in the same area. 

As crews begin full production, bridge improvements will resume on both the U.S. Highway 6 bridge and the bridge over Blue River. During last year’s construction season, new foundations, piers, columns, abutments and pier caps were completed in preparation to set steel girders, which is anticipated to take place at the end of April. The steel girders will allow for the bridge to be widened on the inside shoulder. Crews will be setting concrete barriers on the left side to allow for a safe working area for the bridge widening.