ASPEN, Colo. - Aspen's effort to decarbonize its electrical supply through development of a small hydroelectric project continues to draw strong criticism from traditional environmental allies.
The effort to divert water from Castle and Maroon Creeks to generate power had previously been criticized by homeowners along Castle Creek who objected to substantial dewatering. Flyfishermen also objected.
Now come objections from Skip Harvey, a native son of Aspen who is now chief executive of a group called ClimateWorks Foundation. It's a network of philanthropies and expert groups working on energy policy in the world's largest countries.
Writing in The Aspen Times , Harvey faults the small hydro plan as misguided. The city assumed too little cost, more rapidly increasing costs of electricity from coal-fired sources and too little cost of operation. After 27 years of operation, he says, Aspen would still have a debt of $6 million - more than the project was originally projected to cost.
"And that's the rub," he writes in an op-ed piece. "I strongly agree with the goals of the Canary Initiative. We need to transition away from fossil fuels. I have spent my professional life promoting green energy. But I have also learned that you only get to spend a dollar once, so you better make your best buys first. There are ample opportunities to spend money in Aspen on energy efficiency, and they will reduce fossil fuels at a far lower cost than this project."
Novel effort to decarbonize gondola
TELLURIDE, Colo. - Can even one-fifth of the electricity needed to move the two million passengers each year on the gondola at Telluride be provided by locally generated renewable energy?
That was the goal set in 2008 by something called the Green Gondola Campaign. To do so, organizers will need to generate 250 kilowatts. With $20,000 from contributors, organizers now intend to get started on that grand ambition by installing a two to 10 kilowatt array of photovoltaic cells on the roof of a gondola station.
Those contributing to the effort can sponsor gondola cabins, getting name recognition on those cabins in return.
Most of the electricity now used for the gondola comes from burning coal.
Building a trickle in Vail, Aspen
VAIL, Colo. - Even after the Great Recession descended on the United States like a dark theater curtain, multiple cranes continued to dominate the skyline over Vail and carpenters, electricians and all the rest remained fully employed.
But those big hotels are now finished, and there's not much going on in Vail or more broadly in the Eagle Valley. The Vail Daily reports about 1,400 building inspections for the first half of the year, compared to nearly 5,700 in 2008.
Still, there is some activity. George Ruther, the community development director in Vail, reports a handful of speculative homes being built in Vail's highest-end neighbourhood adjacent to the ski slopes, and also some scrape-and-replace activity along the golf course.
Limited activity is also reported down-valley at Avon, and even some new homes at Gypsum, traditionally more of a blue-collar community.
In Aspen, the story is the same: some work, but it's a pale shadow of what it was just a few years ago. The Aspen Times reports that Pitkin County has trimmed the equivalent of nine full-time positions from its staff in the last two years.
Park City hotels among best
PARK CITY, Utah - Two hotels at Deer Valley and a third one at nearby Sundance ranked among the top 100 hotels in the world, according to a poll conducted last winter by Travel + Leisure magazine.
The Stein Eriksen Lodge came in at 37th, while the St. Regis, which opened in late 2009, was ranked 71st. Sundance Resort, also in Utah, was 99th.
Several other ski resort destinations ranked in the top 100 of the world. The Four Seasons Resort in Jackson Hole was 36th, Stowe Mountain Lodge in Vermont was 73rd and the Ritz-Carlton at Beaver Creek was 89th.
But these glamorous, elegant resort hotels were far down the list. The top four hotels were in Africa and the fifth in India, and even a hotel in Hanoi, Vietnam, came in at 38th. The top U.S. hotel was the C Triple Creek Ranch at Darby, Mont.
Full results can be found at www.travelandleisure.com/worldsbest/2011/hotels or in the issue of Travel + Leisure out on newsstands Aug. 23.
Meanwhile, Park City's newest - and also upper-tier - hotel is the Montage Deer Valley, which opened last winter. It has obtained LEED certification at the silver level, the second of four levels. A hotel spokesman said that many of the things that earned the hotel points would have been done regardless. Regarding energy consumption, the hotel ended up 19 per cent more efficient than Park City's requirements.
Squaw plans upgrades
TRUCKEE, Calif. - When buying Squaw Valley last year, Denver-based KSL Capital pledged $50 million in upgrades. The Sierra Sun reports some of the specifics, including a new high-speed quad by 2012 plus increased grooming, thanks to $2.5 million for two new groomers and a winch cat.
Food and beverage operations will be improved. The ski area has contracted with a Chicago-based firm, Levy Restaurants, to upgrade all the eateries and bars. And the existing ticket portals, described by Squaw Valley chief executive Andy Wirth as "an eyesore," will be scrapped.
And finally, Squaw has contracted with Lumiplan, a company that specializes in developing information systems for public transportation networks in Western Europe. Using LED screens, the company will be in charge of figuring out how to better inform Squaw's customers when terrain will be open.
"I've worked with a lot of airlines, and if Delta can tell its customers that a flight scheduled to take off at 9 a.m. is now leaving at 9:28, why can't we do the same thing for our customers," Wirth said.
All this said, it looks like Squaw still hasn't played out all its cards on the $50 million in upgrades.
First Lady passes hat
PARK CITY, Utah - For whatever reason, the motorcade of First Lady Michelle Obama was expected to cause little traffic congestion as she slipped into Park City for a 9 a.m. event on Tuesday,
That's in stark contrast to the scene in 2008 when President George W. Bush showed up for a fundraiser at Deer Valley accompanied by a fleet of emergency vehicles.
Obama was scheduled to be in Park City for a fundraiser on behalf of her husband's re-election bid. Later in the day she'll stop in Aspen to encourage the opening of wallets.
In Aspen she'll have a capable assistant in Jim Crown, the managing partner for the Crown family, owners of the Aspen Skiing Co. The Obama campaign named him as one of the 87 "bundlers" who has raised between $50,000 and $100,000 this year for Obama's re-election effort, reports The Aspen Times .
Driving and dialing illegal
WHITEFISH, Mont. - Whitefish has put the kibosh on making cell phone calls while driving within the city. It's legal to talk on a wireless telephone while driving, but illegal to handle it.
This drew an aggrieved dissent from Shannon Hanson, who pointed out that it's still legal to apply makeup, eat a sandwich or have a dog sitting on the driver's lap while driving. "Whitefish City Council and the others on the bandwagon apparently feel the need to point pitchforks at cell phone use and to ignore so many other dangers," she wrote in the Whitefish Pilot.
Third grizzly dies
BANFF, Alberta - The latest grizzly bear to die in the Bow River Valley was a 5 1/2-year-old female, who wildlife biologists believe was likely to have her first set of cubs next spring.
She was killed after crawling under a wildlife fence being erected along the Trans-Canada Highway to get at dandelions.
She is the third grizzly to die this year in the valley. Another died on the highway and a third was hit by a train, orphaning two yearling cubs.
Banff National Park has an estimated 60 grizzly bears, and wildlife biologists believe the population can lose no more than 1.2 per cent of females in any given year, based on a rolling four year average. This death puts Banff over that limit.
While Banff has the world's most extensive system of wildlife overpasses, they only work in conjunction with fencing. This segment of fencing, located near the Lake Louise ski area, is only now being completed.
Night noise limit set
STEAMBOAT SPRINGS, Colo. - Mixed use development - businesses on the ground-floor and residences on upper floors - has been all the rage among smart-growth advocates. It's also been standard practice at ski towns, in base area lodges.
But what about when the band plays to midnight, imbibers revel and upstairs somebody is trying to sleep?
Steamboat Springs city councillors have had to address that delicate balance with regulations governing its base area as well as the older downtown district, which has recently been outfitted with new residential complexes.
The new limit for noise is 60 decibels between 11 p.m. and 7 a.m., a little higher than formerly. This new limit meets or exceeds what is allowed in Vail, Aspen and Telluride.
According to the Steamboat Today , bar owners said they believe it will be hard to stay below that limit. However, improved buildings may help. The new building codes specify more insulation and fire-resistant walls. These also have the consequence of blocking noise, said Carl Dunham, a building code official.
Tyler Gibbs, the city planning director, said he expects to see more mixed-use development in Steamboat, but the issue has not necessarily been resolved.
"We'll make sure this is accomplishing what we want it to accomplish," he said. "With mixed-use, the nightlife, the retail, the restaurants being part of the same walkable area is really key to our success."
Backyard cottages shot down
JACKSON, Wyo. - In a split vote, the Jackson town council has rejected a proposal to allow homeowners to partition their lots for smaller cottages.
Mayor Mark Barron, who has been pushing the idea since 2004, said the move would create more affordable housing. "A 'no' vote conscripts renters to a life of rental and denies them an opportunity for affordable-home ownership," he said.
Many towns and cities have been moving to allow denser housing through addition of what is often called a mother-in-law unit, more formally called an accessory dwelling unit. Currently, property owners in Jackson can do the same - building up to three units on one lot. They may retain ownership.
But the proposal in Jackson would have also allowed homeowners to then sell the new accessory unit, which there is called a cottage house.
The Jackson Hole News & Guide says the concept had been approved by a three-to-two vote in prior meetings, but this time one councillor swung to opposition. "I just wasn't comfortable with it," said Bob Lenz. He explained that he believes the new cottage house and lots would have been sold for prices that he doesn't consider affordable to Jackson's rank and file.
Pigs OK, but not so goats
CRESTED BUTTE, Colo. - Pigs, chicken and rabbits? Yes, they will be permissible in Crested Butte going forward.
Goats? No, not yet. "We wanted to start out from the narrowest point," explained Mayor Leah Williams, who said that the town feared goats would get loose.
Whether all that many people will take advantage of the liberalized restrictions is not clear. The Crested Butte News notes that the town already has a community garden and there is at least some sentiment for a communal livestock pen.
Breckenridge talking hotels
BRECKENRIDGE, Colo. - Breckenridge, the municipality, has a prime piece of property in the middle of town and last winter got a proposal from a Maryland developer called Trinity to build a major hotel with the intent of attracting a brand name manager, like Marriott.
Town officials didn't say yes - but they didn't say no. Instead, they put out a request for ideas from other developers. They now have two more proposals, and in both cases for even larger hotels.
One proposal, reports the Summit Daily News , comes from a consortium of Ascent Resort Partners, Hunn Consulting Group and O'Bryan Partnership, for a 253 room hotel plus 328 public parking spaces. Jackson Wolfe & Co. calls for a five storey, 150 room luxury hotel.
Representatives of the three development companies will have an opportunity on Aug. 9 to detail their ideas in presentations before the town council.
Ski area retreats from restaurant
BRECKENRIDGE, Colo. - Vail Resorts appears to have retreated in a standoff with the Breckenridge town council and other local jurisdictions over a ski area expansion. Vail, the operator of the Breckenridge ski area, wants to expand sufficiently to allow the resort to accommodate an additional 1,100 skiers per day.
Local governments had negotiated a memorandum of understanding with Vail Resorts to address parking, housing and other impacts. Vail Resorts at first refused to sign it, but backed off. Then, in response to local comments, it announced that a 150 seat restaurant is not crucial as part of the expansion, reports the Summit Daily News .
The Forest Service, which ultimately decides what is allowed on the national forest, is still taking public comment. The agency has long conceptually approved of the Breckenridge ski area expansion, through its land allocation process, but does not normally approve of ski area expansions when a significant portion of the local community has heartburn over such plans - as was the case at Crested Butte.
Drilling to determine potential
PONCHA SPRINGS, Colo. - Drilling is underway at the Poncha Hot Springs to determine the extent of the thermal resource. A preliminary reading found a thermal gradient of 178 degrees Celsius per kilometre. A geologist with the Colorado state government told the Mountain Mail that thermal gradient measurements show how rapidly temperature increases with depth.
This first well was drilled to 255 feet at a cost of $10,000. It will be used to decide whether to bore a deeper well at a cost of $1 million. That deeper, more expensive well would be used to tap heat that can be used to generate electricity.
Solar thermal payback quick
BRECKENRIDGE, Colo. - Longbranch Condominiums, with its 68 units, was ready for an upgrade. New boilers were needed for heating, and new siding, windows and lighting were also planned.
But instead of doing a simple replacement, the homeowners association decided to take what was called a "holistic approach." They studied their options on renewable energy systems. Photovoltaic solar for production of electricity had a long payback, as did geoexchange, which relies on drawing heat from shallow wells in the ground.
Solar thermal - solar panels in which water is circulated - looked much better. The panels have the ability to produce four times more energy per square foot than a photovoltaic array, homeowner associates representatives tell the Summit Daily News .
The solar system now in place provides 75 per cent of the hot water used in the complex. The $104,000 cost will yield energy savings of $20,000 per year. Combined with tax credits and a grant, this means a five-year payback on investment. The system has a 20-year life expectancy.
A solar system at a different condominium project in Breckenridge, called Summerwood, was installed to handle snowmelt and the swimming pool. It had a three-year payback.
Neal Lurie, director of the Colorado Solar Energy Industries Association, told Planning Magazine that he expects this will be a breakthrough year for solar thermal, at least in Colorado and possibly the nation. Solar thermal got a black eye due to sloppy workmanship on such systems in the 1970s, when tax incentives produced a rash of solar thermal systems.
More sniping about mine plots
TELLURIDE, Colo. - The sniping continues near Telluride, where the ski area operator wants to expand into the base of Bear Creek. But a consortium represented by Tom Chapman has purchased several old mining parcels.
The Telluride Daily Planet reports Chapman's Gold Hill Development Co. has now stationed security guards to prevent interlopers from crossing the private parcels.
"Our guards, all level-headed, will be back intermittently with their cameras and other equipment," said Ron Curry, principal owner of Gold Hill.
"The fact that you have got to close trails and have guards on trails is because nobody follows the rules in Telluride," Chapman told the Daily Planet . "In other words, there is no such thing as private property in Telluride."
In question is whether Gold Hill can use a road that goes through the ski area to get to the old mining parcels. The bigger issue would appear to be whether the ski area and Chapman's group can reach a settlement.
Molybdenum mine to resume next year
LEADVILLE, Colo. - The Climax Mine, once the single largest supplier of molybdenum in the world, now looks to reopen by 2013. The mine closed in 1981 and has been open only briefly since then. Instead of a bustling community with daily newspapers, Leadville has since became a bedroom community for construction and service workers in Summit County and the Vail resort valley.
Freeport-McMoRan Copper & Gold had planned to reopen the mine sooner, but those plans were interrupted by the Great Recession. With the recession, the price of molybdenum plummeted. The company said it plans to take a measured approach to resume production, starting somewhat low and then expanding if the price of molybdenum increases.
The Leadville Herald-Democrat explains that the cost of producing molybdenum is $6 at Climax and $7 at the Henderson mine, located just north of the Eisenhower Tunnel in Colorado. Molybdenum is currently selling for about $15 a pound.
The open-pit mine has been retooled to increase efficiencies. That construction is about 75 per cent complete.
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