January 15 is the last day for Health Insurance Open Enrollment

November 1, 2018 – January 15, 2019 is the open enrollment period for Colorado’s Health Care Exchange: Connect for Health Colorado. There is still time to enroll for a February 1, 2019 coverage effective date, but you must enroll by January 15, 2019.

Here are some important things to keep in mind:

  • The Affordable Care Act (Obamacare) is still the “law of the land”;
  • Health coverage with Connect for Health CO plans for 2019 are unaffected by recent court rulings;
  • Medicaid (Health First Colorado) coverage for those eligible through the ACA expansion are unaffected as well;
  • The deadline to apply for 2019 coverage in the Marketplace is Tuesday, January 15th;
  • After the deadline, a Qualified Life Event can trigger a Special Enrollment Period;
  • Health First Colorado (Medicaid) can be applied for at any time of the year;
  • Grand County Rural Health Network provides free guidance in the application process for health coverage and other programs;
  • Appointments for Information and Assistance are available in communities throughout Grand and Jackson Counties.

For in-person assistance, call Kim Long, Certified Health Coverage Guide and schedule an appointment: (970) 531-4769

A friendly reminder from the Grand County Animal Shelter

2019 county tags are available at most vets, all the town halls and at the animal shelter in Granby. Tags are good from January through December. Dogs in the county/towns must always be wearing a county tag and rabies tag. The county and rabies tags both help get the dog home. The shelter also has an engraver, if you would like a name tag for your buddy. For more information, call (970) 887-2988.

Fraser’s “The Drop” hours of operation

Residents of Fraser and Winter Park are reminded that both towns recently passed legislation that prohibits illegal use of private trash facilities, or, “dumpster poaching”. Violation of the law can result in penalties of up to $2,600.

Fraser’s recycling and trash facility, The Drop, is currently open on Wednesday, Saturday and Sunday, from 10 am – 7 pm. Located a quarter mile southwest of Safeway at 440 GCR 72, the site offers free community recycling (donations appreciated) and Pay-As-You-Throw (PAYT) trash disposal. PAYT bags are available at various locations in Fraser and Winter Park, including Town Hall. For more information, visit frasercolorado.com.

Town of Granby installs permanent Medication Drop Box

Granby Police Department now has a permanent prescription drop box. It is located in the main lobby of the Town Hall. Bring your expired or unused medications by for disposal between the hours of 8 am – 5 pm Monday through Thursday, or, 8 am – 4:30 pm on Friday. townofgranby.com

Lines of Sight Tour comes to Winter Park Resort

CMH is hitting the road and, from January 11-13, they’re installing a heli-inspired Virtual Reality  lounge at Winter Park Resort. Bring your friends and family to the base to try Heli-Skiing in virtual reality, and ask questions about sampling the real deal. Alpine & Ales will be serving up its finest beverages next door to take this experience to the next level.

Filmed entirely at CMH Cariboos over the course of one incredible winter, this cinematic piece is the first of its kind in both the tech and the ski industries. This is your opportunity to step into the heli, soar above the glaciers, and drop into the best runs of your life in this beautifully immersive experience.

Learn more at: https://www.cmhheli.com/vr/

Disposable Bag Fee coming to Fraser on April 1

And it’s not an April Fool’s Joke!   Due to increasing numbers of disposable bags in our immediate environment and to encourage the use of reusable bags, the Fraser Town Board adopted a $0.20 per bag fee at its October 3, 2018 regular Board Meeting. The required date of implementation for Fraser retail and food stores to charge the bag fee is April 1, 2019. For more information, visit frasercolorado.com.

PRC banquet raises funds for continued outreach

Pregnancy Resource Connection (PRC) is gearing up to celebrate their 37th year of service and continued outreach to the people of Grand County. Each year, funds are raised through many events; the largest of which is the annual fundraising banquet.

This year, the event is set for Sunday evening, February 17 at Young Life Crooked Creek Ranch in Fraser. The event begins at 5 pm and will be filled with games, music, and laughter.  

Comedian Mike Williams returns again this year, providing entertainment during the evening. Mike and his wife were moved by the conditions of young girls being trafficked to American tourists in the Dominican Republic and they could not just stand by. In 2009, they established the CUPS mission to rescue young girls, and feed children living from the garbage dump. Now, there are twelve full time mission staff and fifteen mission buildings.

The evening will also include playing Heads and Tails, and, there will be a 50-50 raffle. Plan for a night of celebrating a common goal, while meeting new friends and catching up with old ones! The event is free, but pre-registration is required. To register, visit pregnancyresourceconnection.org.

Granby Ranch hosts Ski with a Patroller

Our esteemed Ski Patrol staff keeps our mountain running in every direction, and, most importantly, keeps us all safe and sound. Join the fun and sign up to ski with a patroller from 8:15 am – 4:30 pm on January 12 and 19, 2019. Don’t wait – there are only a few spots for this exciting and fun opportunity! Children participating MUST be intermediate skiers (able to ski all Blue runs at Granby Ranch); drop child off at First Aid Room at 8:15 am and sign waiver. Pick up child for lunch break 11:30 am – 12:30 pm. Drop back for afternoon at 12:30 pm and pick up after sweep at 4:30 pm. To register, visit: granbyranch.com or eventbrite.com.

2 new avalanche control units installed

On January 3rd, CDOT installed two Obellx remote avalanche control units on Berthoud Pass. During installation, traffic was halted for periods while the helicopter-assisted install was underway. The 2 units are the first of their kind in Colorado and are expected to be a great asset for the avalanche safety program on US 40, helping crews keep the road open and running smoothly throughout the winter months. For more information, visit codot.gov.

Local Musician nominated for a Grammy

PJ Olsson of Eagle Wind Sound in Winter Park has been nominated for a Grammy, along with an engineer team from the Alan Parsons Project. The Recording Academy nominated his latest collaboration, a remastered edition of the Alan Parsons Project album, Eye in the Sky, for a Grammy. Olsson, along with collaborators Alan Parsons and Dave Donnelly, have been nominated for the Best Immersive Audio album of the year, going up against Folketoner, Seven Words from the Cross, Sommerro: Ujamaa & The Iceberg; and Symbol.

Eagle Wind Sound was built by Tony Rosacci and PJ Ollson last year and offers a professional recording studio environment for rent by the hour or session. For information, visit eaglewindsound.com

“Amtrak Winter Park Express” 2019 Season has begun
The third season of the “Amtrak Winter Park Express” started with its first departure from Denver Union Station on January 4th, arriving at Winter Park Resort and delivering 300 happy skiers and riders directly to the slopes. The train will continue to run every Saturday and Sunday, as well as the first two Fridays of every month, through March 31.  New this year is a sightseer lounge car complete with food and beverage service. For tickets, visit amtrak.com.   

Fraser Town Hall is a Food Bank Collection Point

The Town delivers donated food from the Town Hall to the local food banks (located throughout Grand County) to address the needs of residents and guests. For a complete list of food banks, call Mountain Family Center at (970) 557-3186.

Great news for Fraser utility customers

Water and wastewater rates will remain the same in 2019, as they were in 2018 and 2017, due to strong customer growth. In 2018, there were a total of 87 new starts: 18 condos and 69 single family or single family attached permits were issued.