News in Brief

Friday is the last day for Pitkin County residents to comment on a number of financial and tax issues on the November ballot.Colorado election law allows voters to submit written comments to the county clerk. Comments are then summarized and sent to registered voters.Ballot comments must be received at the clerk and record office by Friday, Sept. 22. Those submitting comments must be registered voters and must include a signature and address with their comment. Writers must indicate which ballot question they are commenting on and say whether they are for or against the question.

A large rock slide Friday on the east end of DeBeque Canyon will mean detours along Interstate 70 until Sept. 29.Rocks and boulders, some the size of SUVs, according to the Colorado Department of Transportation, fell on the eastbound stretch of highway. CDOT estimated that 500 cubic yards of material fell on the road. There will be traffic detours for a three-mile stretch on the eastern end of the canyon. Eastbound traffic will shift into the westbound lane and the roadway will be a single lane going in both directions until the end of the month. Delays for passing through the canyon are estimated at five minutes (more during rush hour).

Sheriff Lou Vallario, acting in concert with the Burning Mountains Fire Protection District, Rifle Fire Protection District and the Grand Valley Fire Protection District, announced that an open burning ban imposed on all private and state lands in Garfield County will be lifted, effective at 8 a.m. Saturday, Sept. 23.Vallario advised individuals who wish to burn to contact their local fire districts to obtain the necessary permit. He also reminded people that local conditions may require the reinstatement of an open burning ban.This announcement does not affect the Carbondale and Rural Fire Protection District, since it had already lifted the open burning ban earlier last week. Additionally, the open burning ban is still in effect for the Glenwood Springs Fire Department and Fire District until Nov. 1.If there are any questions concerning the lifting of the open burning ban, contact your local fire protection district, or the sheriff’s office at 945-0453 if you live outside a fire protection district.

The Glenwood Springs City Council will consider a request for nearly $1 million in city fee waivers in support of a proposed apartment complex for lower-income residents tonight.The $938,945 request is part of about $1.5 million in total concessions the developers of a 120-unit rental housing project at Glenwood Meadows are seeking. The other breaks would come in the form of a delay in meeting a park requirement and issuance by the city of an infrastructure grant or loan. (Glenwood Springs Post Independent)Developers are proposing to restrict 84 of the units to lower-income families. They have obtained a state grant, federal tax credit and other assistance including $1.5 million in cash from Garfield County.Council approved the 120-unit apartment project last fall, and agreed then to a height waiver restriction to help cut its price tag. However, it turned down a request then for nearly $500,000 in fee waivers, out of concerns about the lost revenue and the appropriateness of subsidizing a private development. (Glenwood Springs Post Independent)