Town Clean Up Day

The Town of Fraser Clean-Up Day is this Saturday, October 3, from 11am-4 pm at The Drop, 440 CR 72. Allowable items include household trash (one truckload or medium trailer load per household). The event is open to residents of the Town of Fraser. Proof of residency required.

The Town of Hot Sulphur Springs Clean-Up Day is also this Saturday, October 3, from 8 am-12 pm at Harms & Sons, 324 E Grand Ave. Allowable items include household trash (batteries, appliances & electronics) and yard waste. Tires will be accepted at a fee of $8 each. The event is open to residents of the Town of Hot Sulphur Springs and/or within the fire protection district boundaries. Proof of residency required.

Virtual 2020 Candidate Forum

The Winter Park & Fraser Chamber of Commerce is hosting a virtual 2020 Candidate Forum on Wednesday, October 14, from 4:30-7:30 pm. This is a great opportunity to hear from local candidates and learn more about them during this free event. To register and receive the Zoom link, email cross@playwinterpark.com.

OHV Hearing postponed

Due to the overwhelming public response, the Snowmobile/OHV public hearing by the Grand County BOCC, originally scheduled for October 6, has been postponed to October 20, 2020, from 2-5 pm to allow more time for public comment. The only roads being considered are: 

CR 72, CR 73, CR 50, CR 50S, CR 5, and CR 8 for the OHV route and CR 480 and CR 479 for the snowmobile routes. For more information, visit the Grand County Road and Bridge website: co.grand.co.us

2021 Health Insurance Open Enrollment

November 1, 2020 – January 15, 2021 is the open enrollment period for Colorado’s Health Care Exchange: Connect for Health Colorado.

Here are a few things you can do right now to make open enrollment easier:

  1. Create or update your Connect for Health Colorado account: Online, at connectforhealthco.com, or, by phone, at: (855) 752-6749.
  2. Create or update your email address, if applicable.
  3. Reset your password.
  4. Make sure your current contact information and mailing address is up-to-date.

For assistance (mask-to-mask or virtual), call Kim Long, Certified Health Coverage Guide and schedule an appointment: (970) 531-4769.

 Winter Park Express to resume service in 2022

Winter Park Resort and Amtrak plan to resume Winter Park Express service in 2022. Amtrak and the resort will use the 2020-21 season to look for ways to make the Winter Park Express even better when it relaunches. Amtrak has been reducing the number of seats sold on each train to enable distancing, a best-practice that will likely continue into the upcoming winter season. Amtrak and Winter Park Resort evaluated seating options on the Winter Park Express and agreed that with social distancing requirements, it was not possible to operate the train successfully this season. 

Mountain Parks Electric to return $1.65 million to its consumers

In October and November, Mountain Parks Electric (MPE) will refund $1.65 million to its consumer-members. As a not-for-profit utility, a cooperative, MPE allocates margins (called capital credits) each year to consumers proportionate to their electric consumption. However, since MPE is debt financed, the money is refunded on a 20-plus-year retirement cycle. As such, the $1.65 million will be returned to those who purchased electricity from MPE in 1993 and 1998. The average refund for active residential accounts is $68.02. Since its inception in 1946, MPE has returned more than $15 million in capital credits to its consumers.

“At Mountain Parks Electric, it pays to be an owner,” said MPE General Manager Mark Johnston. “The return of capital credits is just one benefit of being a consumer-member (owner) of an electric cooperative.”

Capital credit recipients will either receive an account credit (if their refund is between $10 and $50) or a check in the mail (if their refund is $50 or more).  

Community Baby Shower

On October 16th, 2020 Grand Beginnings will be hosting their 5th annual Community Baby Shower at the Middle Park High School Bus Loop. This event will provide information and resources for new and expecting families through vendors such as Grand County Library District, Grand County Public Health, Pregnancy Resource Connection, Mountain Family Center, and more. 

The Community Baby Shower is more than just a resource fair. It is an event for new and expecting parents to ask questions, get connected to community programs, and of course to learn about resources available in Grand County all in an enjoyable baby shower setting. Parents are invited to drive through and meet our vendors who will offer resources pertaining to maternal mental health, newborn health, and childcare programs and advice in a laid back setting. A small lunch is provided as well as a fun dessert that will be individually wrapped and on the go! There will be opportunities for parents to take home free baby items such as clothing, diapers, formula, and baby boxes, as well as the information on how to use each item. We are looking forward to seeing you there!

Offer health insurance benefits to your employees tax-free!

Businesses of any size can offer plans with more savings, cost control, and choice than traditional group plans.

ICHRAs enable an employer to contribute a set amount to their employee’s health insurance premiums—tax-free!  Employers decide the amount they wish to contribute, to full-time or part-time employees, while the employee gets to shop for and choose any individual marketplace plan that fits their and their family’s needs.

Learn more during the Webinar presented by Peak Health Alliance on October 6 at 1 pm.

Pre-registration is required for this meeting. To learn more, visit peakhealthalliance.org/ichra

Benefits of ICHRA include increased affordability for employers; Employers get access to lower individual market rates; In Colorado, individual market plans are 15% – 20% lower than small group plans; Employers get recruitment and retention benefits of offering insurance coverage; and, Employers set eligibility and contribution strategies.

Questions? Contact Elise Neyerlin, Director of Outreach at Peak Health Alliance at (970) 455-0381 or elise@peakhealthalliance.org

IKON Pass announces plan for winter 2020-2021 season 

In anticipation of the upcoming winter season, Alterra Mountain Company recently announced their preliminary plans. In a statement, they said, “Most Ikon Pass destinations do not require reservations at this time for lift access to the 38 North American Ikon Pass destinations for winter 20/21.  While these unprecedented times and rapidly evolving circumstances may cause plans to change without notice, currently most Ikon Pass destinations feel confident they can elevate the guest experience and eliminate the need for lift access reservations by addressing social distancing concerns through other operational changes.

In order to provide priority access to Ikon Pass holders, many destinations will temporarily regulate or eliminate a number of day ticket products in order to control resort visitation levels and avoid overcrowding. Access at Ikon Pass destinations will vary. For more details, visit Ikon Pass.

The health and safety of all guests and employees is a top priority for all Ikon Pass destinations and each will help minimize the risk of contagion by following all local and federal health and safety protocols. All guests should check with each destination prior to arrival to learn about face covering requirements, social distancing, and cleanliness and disinfection protocols and any other requirements that might impact their visit.” 

Winter Park Resort PR and Communications Manager Jen Miller said, “As adventurers near and far continue to anticipate winter in Colorado, our plans at Winter Park Resort are coming into focus. Through a letter from our parent company, Alterra Mountain Company, we announced that we would prioritize pass holder access and suspend selling daily lift tickets for the time being. We’re still not sure exactly what the winter season will look like, but we do know we will have to more closely manage lift access during peak times to minimize potential overcrowding. The best way for us to do that right now is to limit daily ticket sales. We will continue to evaluate and evolve our plans, remaining nimble in uncertainty.”

For more details about Winter Park’s plans, visit winterparkresort.com

Guidance for COVID-19 cases and outbreaks in schools updated with new quarantine guidelines

The Colorado Department of Public Health and Environment (CDPHE) announced revisions to its guidance for detecting, reporting, and responding to cases and outbreaks of COVID-19 in schools and child care .

The guidance provides specific steps a school and providers should take in response to cases and outbreaks, and outlines when classrooms, cohorts, and schools should close. It is a go-to manual for school leadership experiencing one or more cases of COVID-19.

The revisions to the guidance provide more tools to school districts that adopt best practices for COVID-19 mitigation, like seating charts and mask wearing. In some scenarios, they enable school districts to safely quarantine close contacts of sick students, teachers, and staff instead of entire cohorts or classrooms of students. This is particularly important for middle and high schools, where it can be more difficult to keep students in small cohorts.

This updated case and outbreak guidance, CDE’s toolkit for the 2020-21 school year, and guidance from local public health agencies will continue to provide districts with the information they need to operate schools and child care centers in a way that makes sense for their local communities. CDPHE will update guidance as additional information becomes available.

Continue to stay up to date by visiting covid19.colorado.gov.  

Forest Service Burn Area Emergency Response (BAER) begins for Williams Fork Fire

A Burn Area Emergency Response (BAER) team was established last week by the Arapaho and Roosevelt National Forests and Pawnee National Grassland to begin a burned area assessment of the Williams Fork Fire. As information is available, it will be posted on the Williams Fork Fire Post-fire BAER InciWeb page.

BAER surveys are rapid assessments that evaluate the burned area to identify watersheds having increased potential for post-fire flooding, erosion, debris flows and rockslides. Since the BAER survey is a rapid assessment to assist land managers to prepare the burned area for future rain events, the team will initially focus on potential emergency impacts to life and safety on National Forest System lands and also share the team’s findings with partner agencies.

BAER teams consist of scientists and specialists, including hydrologists, soil scientists, engineers, botanists, biologists, archeologists and more. These teams collect data during their burned area surveys and present their findings and recommended emergency stabilization treatments or actions in a BAER assessment report. For additional information on what BAER is, check the announcement section of our InciWeb page.

BAER teams utilize satellite imagery which is then field validated and adjusted where needed by soil specialists to produce a map that shows the levels of soil burn severity on the watersheds. Changes in soil properties are the primary cause of increased post-fire erosion, flooding and debris flow potential. This is the first step in assessing potential watershed impacts from the wildfire to any National Forest values that may be at risk from potential increased flooding, sedimentation, debris flows and rockslides. BAER emergency response efforts are focused on the protection of human life, safety and property, as well as critical cultural and natural resources such as the water quality of streams on National Forest System lands.

BAER reports are shared with interagency cooperators who work to identify and prepare for potential post-fire flooding and debris flow impacts. This is just one step of recovery. The Arapaho and Roosevelt National Forests and Pawnee National Grassland is working with many cooperators in the area to look at longer-term recovery needs following the fire.

SAFETY MESSAGE: Everyone near and downstream from the burned area should remain alert and stay updated on weather conditions that may result in heavy rains over burn scars.