Winter Park Town Council Accepts Resignation of Town Manager
Last week, the Winter Park Town Council accepted a letter of resignation from Drew Nelson, Town Manager. Mr. Nelson was appointed Town Manager in September 2008 and served in that capacity until his resignation.

Council expressed gratitude to Drew for his leadership over the past 10 years; noting the community’s positive momentum. In the last decade, the Town has invested in making Winter Park a livable, vibrant community with initiatives such as new affordable housing programs; expanded and improved public transit services; improved pedestrian and bicycle safety; development of single-track and multi-purpose trails throughout the community; and collaborative partnerships to install the avalanche control system on Berthoud Pass.

The Town of Winter Park Council has begun the process to recruit and hire a new Town Manager. In the interim, Bill Wengert has been named Acting Town Manager. “Winter Park has so much positive momentum,” said Mayor Lahrman. “I know we’ll be able to find the right person to lead us into this next chapter.”

Forest Service continues pile burning near Colorado Highway 125
Forest Service crews successfully burned 63 machine-built piles east of Colorado Highway 125 along Stillwater Pass and Kaufman Creek roads last week. These large piles are the result of timber sales that salvaged dead trees and removed dead trees from along roadsides. Material that couldn’t be marketed was piled to burn during winter conditions.
Burning will continue in this area as conditions allow in the coming weeks. Ignitions are generally expected to begin after 10 am and will cease several hours before sunset. Firefighters monitor the area after burning is complete. Public and firefighter safety is always the number one priority in burning operations.
If you know anyone else who would like to receive updates on pile burning activities in the Sulphur Ranger District area, have them email krarmstrong@fs.fed.us and ask to be added to our email updates. A complete list of areas where pile burning could occur on the Sulphur Ranger District this season is located at: http://inciweb.nwcg.gov/incident/4648/

Registration for RMRT’s Youth Theatre Program begins February 23

The RMRT Youth Theatre Program’s provides Grand County youth, ages 7 to 18, with an educational, cultural and empowering life experience through participation in a theatre workshop.  Directed by critically acclaimed teaching artists from around the country, each program culminates in performances in which participants engage in all phases of theatrical production.

The RMRT youth/teen summer programs are offered in three age-appropriate classes. Participants should be placed in the group for the age they will be on the first day of camp, not the age they are when they register.

Registration is on a first-come-first-serve basis!  Either by phone at (970) 627-5087 or (970) 627-3421, OR in person at the RMRT administrative office at  404 Vine St(behind the theatre), OR via email to admin@rockymountainrep.com with the registration and emergency forms attached.  Registration starts on Friday, February 23, at 8 am and ends at 5 pm. Visit rockymountainrep.com for more information.

Transit Advisory Committee establishes Service Request Procedures

At the TAC meeting on Monday, February 19, Winter Park Transit Manager, Michael Koch, updated the Committee on the status of the two new, full-sized buses. He will be traveling to bus manufacturer, Gillig’s headquarters in Livermore, CA to observe various stages of the bus manufacturing and take part in road and water testing. On March 8, a smaller “body on chassis” shuttle bus will also arrive for addition to the fleet. The new busses will be delivered to Husky Signs in Boulder, where they’ll be wrapped with the Town’s logo and artwork. Koch will complete the acceptance paperwork and perform safety inspections upon arrival. The new busses should be road-ready by mid-March.

After several months in development, the Committee approved the Service Requests Procedure Memorandum. The Memo outlines the procedures and deadlines for submitting future summer and winter route requests for service. For winter requests, submission will be due by April 1; and, for summer, the deadline for submissions is January 15th. The Committee agreed to be flexible with requests submitted for Summer 2018, given the timing of the Memo’s approval. The summer bus schedule begins the last week of April, so any parties interested in submitting a request should do so promptly.

Committee member Phillip Vandernail stated that the Town of Fraser will be submitting a request to the Committee to add stops in several of Grand Park’s residential communities in both summer and winter. The route requests that busses turn at Bank of the West, pick-up and drop-off at several stops in Grand Park and exit onto Grand Park Drive. Another suggestion for a stop at the far end of Arrow Trail was expressed, to accommodate cyclists in summer.

All service request submissions will be reviewed by Town staff and First Transit to investigate mileage, time and feasibility of adding the stop(s) to an existing route. An applicant should be prepared to offer an estimated ridership projection and provide a description of why the service is being requested. Stops on paved roads are preferred over dirt, mainly due to the amount of mud and dirt tracked aboard the busses. The route must also allow adequate room for bus turn-around, and, it should be free of any heavy equipment (e.g., non-construction zone).

The Town will be conducting a ridership survey of Granby route passengers in early March. This will help to evaluate the Town’s transit needs. At this time, there is not a Granby bus route scheduled for the summer. Discussions will continue.

The next Committee meeting is scheduled for March 19. For additional information on Transit, visit the Town’s website: wpgov.com  

Winter Park’s 2017 Financials improve over 2016

The Town’s December 2017 Sales, Lodging, Accommodation and Transit/Trails Report was presented to Town Council with the February 20 meeting packet. In the report, Town staff observed “December results have improved over previous years and continue to show a positive trend, as they have for all twelve months of 2017. Collections for December improved over 2016, with an increase of $92,000 (7%). For the month, Retail reflects a double digit increase over 2016 while Restaurant/Bar, Utilities and Service/Other increased as well. By geographic area, Downtown and Outside County had significant increases over the prior years. For the year, sales tax collections have increased $830,000 (12%) over 2016, with significant double digit percentage increases over the previous five years. Retail, Lodging and Restaurant/Bar reflect strong gains in 2017 in each geographic area over all previous years. For the 2017-2018 ski season, tax collections are the highest ever for the Town in the two months through December.”

You can view the full report on the Town’s website: wpgov.com