In Brief: Recycling Christmas trees; Historical Society airs retro films; state gets kid-care grant
A day for everything
Holiday lights can be recycled at the Rio Grande Recycle Center in the “Metals Only” bin and at the Pitkin County Landfill in the “Scrap Metals” bin. Wreaths and garlands are not accepted due to the danger the metal wire presents when chipping the trees. The recycled trees are turned into mulch and then composted to be used for future plantings.
The Rio Grande Recycle Center is in Aspen across from Obermeyer Place on Rio Grande Place. More information about the city’s waste reduction program is available online at aspen.gov/scraps.
The Pitkin County Landfill is at 32046 Jack Gredig Lane, Aspen. More information about the landfill is available online at LandfillRules.com.
Aspen Historical Society airs retro films
This community film series in partnership with the Limelight Hotel features vintage films from the Aspen Historical Society Collection that were recently digitized and are being shown for the first time on the big screen. Spanning several decades, the visual histories aim to bring retro skiing to life. Food and beverage specials offered at the Limelight bar during the screenings.
Mondays, Jan. 9 and Feb. 6; Thursday, March 9. Doors open at 5:30 p.m., films begin at 6 p.m. at the Limelight Hotel, 355 S. Monarch St. in Aspen. Screenings are in the Monarch Room off the lobby, $10 suggested donation at the door. Seating is limited — first-come, first-served.
Jan. 9: The Beginning of a Love Affair (1976); Video Postcard: Aspen Snowmass (1987). Feb. 6: One for the Money (1973); Winter of ’74 (1974); Return to Aspen (1987). March 9: Just a Matter of Time (1976); Welcome to Aspen (1984); Aspen Skiing Company Orientation Film (1986).
State wins early-child education grant
The Colorado Department of Early Childhood has been awarded a $3.9 million 2023 Preschool Development Birth through Five Planning Grant by the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services’ Administration for Children and Families. The grant aims to support innovations that address gaps in the early child care and education system for children ages birth to five and emerging challenges and needs resulting from the COVID-19 pandemic.
The grant, part of the federal Every Student Succeeds Act, will support state’ efforts to build infrastructure and scale effective strategies and programs that address new challenges facing the early childhood workforce, children’s physical and social-emotional well-being and meeting the needs of Colorado families.
Since 2018, Colorado has received $39.3 million in federal PDG B-5 funding, including a three-year renewal grant to implement strategies identified in the State B-5 Strategic Plan.
U-Haul count has Colorado as a growth state
Colorado is the No. 11 growth state in America, according to the U-Haul Growth Index analyzing customer moves during 2022.
People arriving in Colorado in one-way U-Haul trucks fell 5% over 2021, while departures fell almost 4% as overall moving traffic slowed.
Despite a greater year-over-year drop in arrivals, do-it-yourself movers arriving in the Centennial State still accounted for more than 50.3% of all one-way U-Haul truck traffic in and out of Colorado (49.7% departures) to keep it a decisive net-gain state. Colorado ranked seventh and sixth among U-Haul growth states in 2021 and 2020, respectively.
The U-Haul Growth Index is compiled according to the net gain of one-way U-Haul trucks arriving in a city or state, versus departing from that city or state, in a calendar year. Migration trends data is compiled from more than 2 million one-way U-Haul truck transactions that occur annually across the U.S. and Canada.
Texas paced the nation in growth for the fifth time since 2016, while Florida, South Carolina, North Carolina, and Virginia round out the top five growth states. California ranks 50th and Illinois 49th for the third year in a row, indicating those states saw the largest net losses of one-way U-Haul trucks.
Colorado’s top growth cities are Fort Collins, Loveland, Denver, and Boulder. Other notable net-gain markets include Pueblo, Castle Rock, Parker, Greeley, Steamboat Springs,riefs and Westminster.
While U-Haul migration trends do not correlate directly to population or economic growth, the U-Haul Growth Index is an effective gauge of how well states and cities are both attracting and maintaining residents. Visit myuhaulstory.com to view the additional growth state releases and national releases from the U-Haul Growth Index.
