Rendezvous Sales Center & Visitor Center construction underway
Construction has begun on the new Winter Park Visitor Center and Rendezvous Sales Center at the corner of US-40 and Rendezvous Way in downtown Winter Park. Rendezvous Way and Ski Idlewild Road will be closed Monday-Thursday for the next several weeks. The road will open up at noon on Thursdays, just in time for High-Note Thursday. Alternate routes available to Saw Mill, Trailhead, and the Rendezvous Event Center via Rendezvous Road.
MPE billing software conversion
Due to an online billing software conversion, as of 5 pm on Wednesday, July 31, Mountain Parks Electric will be unable to process all online electronic forms of payment until 8 am on Tuesday, August 6. We apologize for any inconvenience this might cause. Please call (970) 887-3378 and press extension 2 (Billing) if you have any questions.
Volunteer Opportunity: Invasive Species Management Project
Join the Rocky Mountain Conservancy and the Resource Stewardship Division to help remove invasive species from the Kawuneeche Valley in Rocky Mountain National Park. Invasive plant species have impacted much of Colorado’s landscape. These exotic plants have the ability to out compete native plants, degrade wildlife habitat, and disrupt natural ecosystem processes. Due to these impacts, it is critical Rocky Mountain National Park remove invasive species to support the ongoing stewardship of the Park’s natural resources. This is especially important along valuable watersheds (the Kawuneeche Valley is home to the headwaters of the Colorado River). Help protect Rocky Mountain National Park’s natural landscape by participating in this half-day project!
Volunteers of all ages are welcome and must be able to walk up to 1/2 mile across uneven terrain. Meet at the Kawuneeche Visitor Center, 16018 US-34, Grand Lake 80447 on Wednesday, July 31st from 9 am-1pm. For more information, visit rmconservancy.org.
USA Cycling Mountain Bike National Championships
Winter Park is honored to host this year’s USA Cycling Mountain Bike National Championships with official event days July 23-28. And with this honor comes the need for hundreds of volunteers.
Sign-up to volunteer and receive a volunteer t-shirt and lunch. Volunteers will earn a ticket, good for summer or winter, for every 6 hours of service. All your time volunteering will be combined. Students are welcome and encouraged to get their Grand County community service hours for graduation. To volunteer, call (970) 726-5514 or visit winterparkresort.com.
New Fraser Library Program
Great Decisions is coming to the Fraser Valley Wednesday evenings starting Aug 7! Created by the Foreign Policy Association, Great Decisions is America’s largest discussion group on world affairs. Each meeting focuses on a specific topic relevant to today’s society and includes review of a ½ video followed by an hour discussion on the topic. Great Decisions Briefing Book is available in limited quantities (first come…) from Fraser Valley Library for those registered. First topic: Global Migration – emphasizes the reasons for migration, refugees in Europe, and migration from the northern triangle area of Central America into the United States and Mexico. gcld.org
5th annual ‘Nepal: Here to Help’ fundraiser
On Wednesday, August 7th, Tashi and her son, Karma, will be preparing a home cooked, traditional Sherpa dinner to raise funds to provide education for the children who live in the Everest region of Nepal. The dinner will be held at Kukoy’s Cabin, 13026 Hwy 34 in Grand Lake. Starting at 5 pm, the evening will have music by the Alpine Classic Duo, jewelry by Tashi, an auction featuring Nepal Art, LuminAID solar lanterns, traditional weavings to empower women, crafts from Nepal and more. Don’t miss this special night! Tax-deductible $50 donation per person. RSVP to (970) 627-8487 or (303) 408-9736.
Winter Park Half-Marathon and 5k
Run for hope on August 3rd! The Shining Stars Foundation is hosting the annual Winter Park Half-Marathon & 5k on August 3rd in Winter Park. All proceeds go toward providing life-changing programs and events for children with cancer. This family-friendly event is open to racers of all levels. Participants receive a custom medal and goodie bag, as well as a discount code for tickets to the Winter Park Beer Festival immediately after the event. Learn more & sign up at shiningstarsfoundation.org.
Guiding the Future of Downtown Winter Park
When you think about Downtown Winter Park, what do you love about it? And what would you improve? The Town of Winter Park wants to know!
The Town is creating a Downtown Plan that, when completed, will outline improvements to ensure Downtown is an all-season destination for everyone. As part of the first phase of plan development, a short Visual Preference survey is open through August 5th.
Survey responses will be used to better understand the character of Downtown and what community members want to see in the future. Find the link to the survey at wpgov.com. Additional comments can be sent to the project manager, Mara Owen, at mowen@wpgov.com. Thanks for participating!
Winter Park officer let go after charges were dismissed
On Monday, a judge dismissed the charge of harassment against Sgt. Sean Curran, the Fraser Winter Park police officer who was involved in a domestic dispute in late June.
Judge Nicholas Catanzarite granted a motion to dismiss the charge filed by the District Attorney’s Office last week based on a lack of evidence proving Curran intended to harass, annoy or alarm the woman involved in the dispute.
However, separate from the criminal investigation, the Fraser Winter Park Police Department conducted an administrative review into whether Curran violated any department policies. Ultimately, that investigation has resulted in the termination of his employment.
Independent of the Sheriff’s investigation, the Fraser Winter Park Police Department initiated an administrative investigation to determine if Sgt.Curran had violated the policies and standards of the Department. “The Fraser Winter Park Police Department holds all our employees to a high standard of behavior,” Police Chief Glen Trainor said. “Every investigation of a violation of policy is taken very seriously.” Chief Trainor added, “As a result of that investigation, Sean Curran is no longer an employee of the Town of Winter Park.”
Grand County Sheriff’s deputies arrived at Curran’s residence around 8:45 p.m. on June 28, where both Curran and his partner told officers they were in a verbal dispute. According to the affidavit, Curran’s partner claimed that he pushed or shoved her multiple times during the incident, but didn’t hit her. A witness report of video footage of the incident taken by Curran’s partner during the altercation shows Curran asking repeatedly to be left alone and moving away from his partner.
Ultimately, the motion to dismiss describes the instances where Curran made physical contact with the woman as “minor” and “incidental to (Curran’s) effort to leave the area.”
Following Judge Catanzarite’s dismissal of the case, Curran filed a motion to seal the case, which the judge has yet to rule on.
Local man dies in skateboarding accident
On Monday afternoon at about 1 pm, Grand County Dispatch was notified of an accident involving a skateboarder near the intersection of Old Town Drive and Winter Park Drive in Winter Park. Upon arrival of first responders, an adult male was found face down on the pavement, not breathing and bleeding heavily from the head. CPR was immediately initiated and the victim was transported to the East Grand Community Clinic where he was subsequently pronounced deceased.
Witnesses at the scene reported that they had seen the victim skateboarding at a high rate of speed westbound down Old Town Drive, and then make a right turn onto Winter Park Drive. As he was doing so, the victim lost control, and was thrown from his skateboard, causing him to land on his head in the southbound lane of Winter Park Drive. He was not wearing a helmet.
The victim was identified as a William Harding, age 38, from Granby.
Grand County EMS, the East Grand Fire District and the Grand County Coroner’s office all assisted in responding to this tragic accident. An autopsy to determine the cause and manner of death is pending.
Our condolences go out to Will’s family.
