Except Airport Delays
For lodging, tonight is the last of the busiest seven days of the year for Aspen and Snowmass bookings. That means people flying out of the Upper Valley could see long lines starting tomorrow.
Once the New Year’s Eve celebrations are over, travelers hit the road or the airport to return home. Bill Tomcich is President of Stay Aspen Snowmass, the resort’s main booking company. He says New Year’s Day through January 5th will be a mass exodus.
“You can actually check in as soon as four hours before your scheduled departure, you can go out to the airport and check your bags, and then come back into town for lunch and don’t worry about cutting it close for your flight if there’s a large line.”
Travelers catching the first flights of the day are recommended to arrive when the airport opens at 5am. The last seven days have had several flights canceled or rerouted because of winter weather. Tomcich says airlines have been better equipped this year to make up for those hiccups, by adding ground transportation and diverting more often to Grand Junction instead of Denver.
Grand Avenue Bridge Project Deadline Ends
Yesterday was the deadline to submit comments on the proposed replacement of the aging Grand Avenue Bridge in Glenwood Springs. A CDOT spokesperson says the agency’s received lots of feedback with comments both critical and in favor of the project.
The recommended alignment takes vehicles from Interstate 70’s exit 116 across the Colorado River and into downtown. A study team will now begin evaluating the comments.
Aspen Considers “Climate Resiliency Planning”
The City of Aspen is planning for a future where the climate is warmer. City staff will present findings from their “climate resiliency planning” to City Council on Monday.
Over the last several months, researchers have been collecting data on how Aspen’s climate might look in 40 years. A new report uses global climate models scaled to our region and climate observations from local residents.
Ashley Perl is with the City’s Canary Initiative, a department created to reduce greenhouse gas emissions and help the community plan for a changed climate. She’s expecting Aspen to heat up.
“It’s warmer, so our climate starts to look a little more like the Mid-Valley climate instead of the Aspen climate we know now. And, we start to see more rain instead of snow.”
The report pinpoints six sectors in Aspen that may be impacted by a warmer climate, including tourism and recreation. Public health and safety is included because of a greater likelihood of forest fires. And, the report looks at infrastructure in town.
“Making sure that all of our building codes are really strong and are planning for increased floods, mudslides? Are we going to need more cooling load, because right now very few of our buildings have air conditioning.”
The idea is to deliver the report’s findings to elected leaders, stakeholder groups and community members so they can weigh in with ideas on how to prepare for a warmer climate.
“That’s what we’re trying to talk to the community about is, let’s not wait until it happens to start planning. We feel like we have a responsibility as the City of Aspen, but also as a community, to plan for the future.”
The report will be presented for the first time on Monday to City Council. Other communities like Fort Collins, Denver and several coastal cities are doing similar resiliency planning.
Garfield County Treasurer Sworn In
It’s the beginning of the year and one local government is starting with fresh elected leaders. Yesterday, Karla Bagley was sworn in as the new Garfield County Treasurer. Other re-elected and newly elected Garfield County officials will be sworn into office at a separate ceremony on January 13th.
Driving Enforcement Underway
The Colorado Department of Transportation says the annual statewide New Year’s enforcement is underway. CDOT, the Colorado State Patrol and almost 100 local law enforcement agencies are working together to keep those who had too many off the roads. Checkpoints and patrols will continue now through Monday January fifth in an effort to nab drunk drivers. The CDOT advises New Year’s partiers to have a designated driver, take public transportation or a cab to keep off the roads following a night of drinking. Last year, just over 500 people were arrested for impaired driving during the New Year’s action.
Aspen’s Lift 1A is Down
A well-known lift on the western end of Aspen Mountain is out of service. In an e-mail from ski co, the company says the Shadow Mountain lift, better known as Lift 1A, is out of commission due to a mechanical problem. The lift was built in the early 1970s and follows the same alignment as the first chairlift on Aspen Mountain from the 1940s. Ski co says all mountain access will go through the Silver Queen Gondola and the Little Nell chairlift while Lift 1A is down. There has been no word at this time as to when the lift will be operational again.
Carbondale Business Numbers are Up
Early reports show Carbondale saw a boost in lodging and sales tax revenue in 2014. The Carbondale Chamber of Commerce got the latest statistics at a recent retreat, where Carbondale town staff reported the early numbers. Andrea Stewart is Executive Director of the Chamber.
“The sales tax was up six to seven percent, and town had actually projected a 2% increase on sales tax, and ending the year at 6% or 7% is huge.”
Stewart says that’s especially important considering the disruption caused by months of construction work on Highway 133 through Carbondale. Lodging tax was up 30%. On average, Stewart says 2014 numbers are at pre-recession levels.
