Snowmass Village grapples with sinkhole
A sinkhole has developed on the edge of Brush Creek Road immediately downhill of Lower Kearns Road in Snowmass Village.
The town of Snowmass Village Public Works Department responded and will continue to work with agency partners to assess and stabilize the area, officials said. They noted the damage wasn’t as extensive as feared. The sinkhole has exposed some critical utilities, which will be addressed as part of the stabilization.
Traffic will be impacted as the situation develops. Single-lane, traffic control measures will be in place in the affected area. The route to the Snowmass Center is currently detoured to Upper Kearns Road.
Updates will be provided at tosv.com and on the Town’s social media:
- TOSV Facebook: facebook.com/TownofSnowmass/
- TOSV Twitter: twitter.com/TownofSnowmass
Construction of features on Airline Trail begins Monday
Construction of additional features, such as optional jumps, on Airline Trail will begin Monday, Pitkin County officials announced.
The project will take about two weeks. Riders should expect machinery on the trail and ride with caution, officials said. There may also be delays in letting trail traffic through. With last year’s construction of Incline at Sky Mountain Park, Airline became a one-way, downhill-only trail, making the changes possible.
Feedback sought on trail between AABC and Brush Creek Park & Ride
Pitkin County seeks community feedback on a potential trail that would connect the Aspen Airport Business Center (AABC) and the Brush Creek Park & Ride.
“The trail section between the AABC and the Brush Creek Park and Ride is a significant gap in Pitkin County’s extensive trail system,” said Gary Tennenbaum, director of Pitkin County Open Space & Trails. “While the project costs are high compared to previous other local projects, our focus is to better understand what the community wants and then further explore a number of factors that contribute to the feasibility of the project.”
Other factors, in addition to community feedback, include a cost and benefit analysis, exploration of multimodal opportunities, projected user data, connectivity of the trail system, and identifying funding and grant possibilities. An engineering feasibility study completed in February 2022 looking at all alignment options demonstrated a preferred alternative with a projected cost between $20 million and $25 million.
A new trail would also provide access to the Rio Grande Trail and greater trail network. The current trail connection from the Brush Creek Park & Ride to the AABC requires trail users to go down to Jaffee Park and up a gravel path that has an average grade of about 12%. At present, getting to the Aspen Airport Business Center from the Rio Grande Trail requires users to descend to the Stein Bridge and climb up a gravel path with another steep grade, averaging about 15%. This route also adds two miles.
An online survey regarding trail alignment options and use is now live through the end of July and can be found at pitkinostprojects.com
CDOT adds funding for road repairs
The Colorado Department of Transportation is investing additional funds received last month to address road conditions after one of the most intense winters in recent decades damaged some roads beyond what they normally sustain each year.
Twelve stretches of roadway across the state have been identified, and preparations are underway to make repairs as soon as possible, officials said. More than $17.6 million in funding has been distributed to two emergency projects, and $7.4 million is being managed by CDOT’s Division of Maintenance and Operations to reimburse local maintenance teams that either perform roadwork or oversee contracted projects. Weather conditions across the state have finally warmed enough that permanent repairs can be made to roads.
Two large stretches of mountain highways will receive extensive work under emergency contracts with private construction contractors. U.S. Highway 40 on the north side of Berthoud Pass, near Winter Park, has experienced badly deteriorating conditions since mid-winter, and maintenance crews have spent weeks making temporary fixes during the seasonal freeze-thaw cycles. A stretch of Interstate 70 from just east of the Eisenhower-Johnson Memorial Tunnels will also receive pavement resurfacing. This new stretch of road will connect to a project that was already planned near Georgetown and Silver Plume.
Ten additional sections of roadways will receive funding for projects that CDOT maintenance staff will oversee. As work scopes and cost estimates continue to be refined, it will determine whether maintenance staff can perform the work directly in accordance with state law or whether projects will be contracted to private construction firms and overseen by maintenance supervisors.
New appointment at Aspen museum
The Aspen Art Museum announce that Daniel Merritt has been appointed director of curatorial affairs. He will work closely with Nancy and Bob Magoon Director Nicola Lees to develop and oversee all curatorial programming, including exhibitions, commissions, public programs, and publications.
Since 2014, Merritt has worked at Swiss Institute in New York City, most recently as curator and head of residencies.
“I am thrilled to join the Aspen Art Museum, an adventurous institution founded by artists.” he said. “Throughout its history, the museum has demonstrated a commitment to discovery. Since the mid-twentieth century, the town of Aspen has been a haven for experimentation and the progress of artistic thought. Set in an astonishing panorama, the Aspen Art Museum is a hub in which the true voices of artists drive conversations. I look forward to fostering those voices.”
Merritt holds an MA in the History of Art from the Courtauld Institute, London, and a BA in Art History and American Studies from Columbia University, New York.
Jet charter service extends service to Aspen
Set Jet Inc., a membership-based private jet charter program based in Scottsdale, Arizona, has announced their newest route connecting Southern California and Scottsdale with Aspen.
The company said it will begin servicing routes to Aspen with direct flights from the Scottsdale Airport, as well as one-stop flights from Orange County and San Diego starting the week of June 12. Buy-the-seat costs for Set Jet member flights to and from Aspen will start at $1,330.
“Member requests for this route have consistently increased as we approach the Aspen summer season,” said Set Jet CEO Tom Smith. “Aspen is home to some incredible summer festivals, and our members are looking forward to kicking off our Aspen service as the Food & Wine Classic begins. I am proud to see Set Jet now in 10 airports across five Southwestern states and Mexico as we continue to grow our Set Jet destination map.”
Set Jet Chairman Steve Reynolds said, “As a longtime Aspen local, I am excited to see this route crossed off the Set Jet expansion to-do list. I am excited to bring this impeccable experience to the Aspen community – and there is a certain opposite synergy between the desert and the mountains that I truly enjoy as a second-home owner in Scottsdale, myself.”
For more information, visit www.setjet.com.
On-request personal assistant service comes to Aspen
TULA, an on-request personal assistant service that began in Denver in 2020 is expanding in-person services to Aspen and the surrounding communities.
Leveraging technology (There’s an app for that) and community, TULA officials said the service offers busy parents, professionals, and anyone who needs a little extra time in their day a personal assistant at the touch of a button. Hourly services are customized for each client and executed by TULA’s network of vetted professionals.
TULA will launch its next in-person market in Aspen and the Roaring Fork Valley this month. Aspen local Kristi Hayes Buchanan and year-round Aspen resident Monica Cohan have paired up with TULA co-founders Megan Trask and Cody Galloway to lead this new market for TULA. TULA currently serves clients virtually worldwide and in Denver, Boulder, and Austin, Texas, with in-person requests. Additional in-person markets are set to open later this year.
Members can subscribe to a monthly package of six, 12, or 24 hours (Packages receive a discount on the hourly rate) or purchase a la carte hours at $80 an hour. Packages can also be customized for full-day options or recurring tasks.
For more information: TULABalanced.com.
Roadwork to begin at Glenwood Meadows
The city of Glenwood Springs and general contractor Johnson Construction are scheduled to begin phase 1 roadwork for the Glenwood Meadows Roadway Rebuild project on Monday.
During phase 1, West Meadows Drive (the entrance between Target/Big 5 Sporting Goods and Lowes) will be closed between Midland Avenue and the north side of the West Meadows roundabout. Alternate business and residential access will remain open through the East Meadows entrance (by Petco) or either of the two Wulfsohn Road entrances.
During phase 1, the Roaring Fork Transit Authority (RFTA) will re-open the Wulfsohn bus stops to the public and remove the temporary one outside of Chili’s.
Phase 1 is anticipated to be complete in early July and is expected to be the most impactful to access in and out of the subdivision. This phase will replace the island, replace sidewalks, sidewalk crossings, add a full length right and left turn lane to the site, and replace the asphalt with a heavy asphalt section design.
To receive project updates, contact Bryana Starbuck via email at bryana.starbuck@cogs.us or by phone/text at 970-930-1411.
Basalt Connect joins public transit promotion
Zero Fare For Better Air, We’ll Get You There is a collaborative, statewide initiative designed to reduce ground-level ozone by increasing the use of transit.
Basalt Connect is encouraging community residents and visitors to ride transit to help keep Colorado’s air clean during the summer months when air pollution is at its highest.
Basalt Connect will join the statewide effort to promote public transit during the months of June, July and August. The effort is made possible by Colorado Senate Bill 22-180, the Ozone Season Transit Grant Program, in partnership with the Colorado Energy Office. Basalt Connect welcomes individuals who may have never used its transit services and customers who are regular transit users to ride often all summer long and save money getting where they need to go.
“The pilot program that launched August of last year was highly successful,” Colorado Association of Transit Agencies Executive Director Ann Rajewski said, “All agencies that participated increased ridership — ranging anywhere between 2% to 59%. This year we are expanding the program for the entire summer and are expecting to increase the number of transit agencies participating.”
Approximately 85% of the greenhouse gas emissions that come from transportation are due to day-to-day commutes, according to transit officials. By leaving the car at home, a person can save up to 20 pounds of carbon dioxide emissions every day depending on the length of the trip, they said.