News in Brief

AVON ” The developer of a proposed gondola connecting Avon with Beaver Creek says delays in the town approving it are jeopardizing its schedule.

East West Partners wants to build a gondola to entice people to buy or lease property on 18.9 acres of land it owns along the Eagle River. The company hopes to have the gondola, which would connect to Beaver Creek’s Mountain Express chairlift, ready for the 2007-08 ski season.

Spokesman Chuck Madison said the gondola should have been ordered in January to meet the proposed schedule and that the final deadline is March 1.

The Town Council has twice tabled the project, and will take it up again on Feb. 28.

Former Avon Councilman Peter Buckley, who opposes the Confluence development, said it is too expensive. He said the $3 million in tax breaks East West Partners is asking for is too much.

Madison said the public benefit from the project is well worth the investment, but he admits it is a risky project.

He said the developer won’t back out now because too much money has been spent. (The Vail Daily)