Red Mountain helicopter fixing rockfall issues

The helicopter hovering over Red Mountain on Thursday morning brought in equipment to mitigate possible rockfall on a parcel of land donated to the county this spring, sources said.

The Red Mountain Homeowners Association donated the 55-acre parcel to Pitkin County’s Open Space and Trails Program. A majority of the homeowners wanted to keep the area as open space and free of development, though a minority preferred to divide it into as many as five parcels and sell it, the head of the HOA said at the time.

Steep slopes on the property led to rockfall concerns, which are now being addressed, said Brian Pettet, Pitkin County public works director. The helicopter will likely be back to extract equipment in about two weeks, said G.R. Fielding, county engineer.

The area won’t be available for recreation because of the steep slopes and the fact that it support valuable wildlife habitat, officials have said.