Town of Grand Lake discontinues Municipal Fee

The Municipal Fee established by Ordinance 06-2017 for purposes of providing streetlight, police services and dispatch services was put into effect January 1, 2018. The Grand Lake Board of Trustees received comments from citizens expressing concerns about the municipal fee. The Board has heard and considered the comments made by its citizens and has determined that the fee should be discontinued.

The Town has assessed and is in the process of collecting the quarterly municipal fees for the first quarter and second quarter of 2018, as required by Ordinance 06-2017. By Ordinance 03-2018, the municipal fee will be discontinued beginning with the third quarter. For more information, visit: townofgrandlake.com

Grand County sends 2 deputies to assist with 416 fire

Last weekend, Grand County Sheriff’s Department sent 2 deputies down to the 416 Fire in La Plata County. They were assigned to patrol evacuated neighborhoods to stop anyone that wanted to burglarize or damage homes while the residents were evacuated.

Thank you to Sgt Ellison and Deputy Hines for serving our community and other communities in need!

Buffalo Mountain Fire breaks out in Summit County

Continued dry conditions sparked a fire on Tuesday, and hundreds of residences in the Wildernest and Mesa Cortina developments were evacuated as dry and windy conditions prevailed. Crews from Summit County, the US Forest Service and surrounding counties, including East Grand and Kremmling Fire Districts, responded to fight the rapidly growing fire, where embers were sparking more fires in the area.

Evacuees were requested to go to the Silverthorne Recreation Center for shelter and the Summit County Animal Shelter helped with pet concerns. Officials reminded citizens that the fire zone is a No Drone Zone, and to keep drones grounded as emergency services respond to the fire. On Wednesday, reports indicated that the source of the fire was human-caused.

On Wednesday morning, residents were allowed to temporarily return to their homes to collect personal belongings, but it was still uncertain when they would be able to return home for good.

Why No Fire Ban in Grand County?  

 

The unseasonably hot and dry conditions we are currently experiencing have caused many to ask why the county has not yet imposed a fire ban. The county utilizes a checklist of factors they use for consideration of when fire restrictions should be implemented and we have not yet met the requirements. At this time, Grand County has still not imposed any fire restrictions. The Winter Park Times has attempted to reach officials at the Grand County Sheriff’s office for a status update, but no response had been received at the time of press.

High Altitude Gardening Class Offered in Granby

Join the Granby Recreation Department and Grand County gardener Peg VandeVoort in a fun class to learn how to garden in our mountain environment. They’ll cover soil and site preparation, plant materials that grow in high altitudes, perennial and rock gardening, native plants, and principles of Xeriscape landscaping. The class will be held on Wednesday, June 20th from 6:30 to 8:30 pm, at the Granby Community Building. The cost is $25 and pre-registration is required. To register, contact the Granby Recreation Department at (970) 887-3961.

Primary Ballot Drop-off locations

On Monday, June 18th, voters can drop off completed and signed ballots for this year’s Primary Election at several locations throughout the county. New this year, unaffiliated voters can participate in the primary by selecting one party’s ballot and completing it (do not complete and submit both, or they won’t count). Voting in the Primary does not affect the unaffiliated voter’s status.

Here’s a list of the drop-off locations:

Grand County Administration Building, 308 Byers Ave, Hot Sulphur Springs

CSU Extension Hall, 210 11th Street, Kremmling

Granby Town Hall, Zero Jasper Avenue, Granby

Grand Lake Town Hall, 1026 Park Avenue, Grand Lake

Grand Park Community Recreation Center, 1 Main Street, Fraser

All ballots must be received by Election Day, Tuesday, June 26th, at 7 pm. Postmarks do not count.

Winter Park Resort’s Trestle Bike Park opens Saturday

Winter Park Resort opens for the summer season Saturday morning at 9:30 am. Construction of the new 10-person gondola in the base area has resulted in creative placement of some of the summer activities, and, while the Zephyr Express is not running, both the Arrow and Gemini chairlifts will be operating to carry visitors and bikes up the mountain. Most shops and restaurants in the Village will also be open, and, all parking is free in summer. For all the information, visit winterparkresort.com.

Winter Park Receives CDOT Grant for New Buses

Growing the Lift transit system has become a top priority for the Town of Winter Park over the past few years. To help achieve this goal, the Town recently received a CDOT FASTER grant of $480,000 for vehicle replacement in 2019. This will cover the cost of a new low-floor transit bus, and a new shuttle bus to be used for paratransit service.

Thanks to the voter-approved sales tax dedicated to the transit system, the Town is able to meet the match requirement to receive this and other CDOT capital improvement grants.

Many of the Lift buses are due for replacement, and this will help ensure that the Lift has a strong fleet to meet the needs of Fraser Valley residents and visitors.

New Buses on Their Way

With the cost of one new bus covered by the CDOT grant, two new buses have been ordered and will be delivered in early 2019. Like the new buses that arrived this past March, the vehicles will have low floors, ergonomic seats, and modern lighting.

The Lift Transit system rolls into summer service

To get ready for increased summer traffic, the Lift service started their summer schedule on June 14th. Every Thursday to Sunday, until September 3rd, the bus will be operating half-hour service between 3pm and midnight. Learn more at theliftwp.com.