Cornerstone Colorado

Posted by:

Erin Eddy

www.ourayland.com
www.ridgwayland.com

Cornerstone Named Best Private Course by Golf Magazine

Greg Norman Course to Host Senior Tournament

MONTROSE – The unparalleled beauty of Cornerstone’s setting atop the Uncompahgre Plateau is enough to set it apart from other mountain developments. But add to that a Greg Norman-designed golf course and be prepared for national recognition.

The January 2009 issue of Golf Magazine, currently on newsstands, has named Cornerstone the #1 Best New Private Golf Course in the country.

The 7,945-yard, par 72 course was touted by the editors at Golf Magazine as “easily the best high-altitude course in the nation, and quite possibly the world.” They called it Norman’s “finest North American project to date.” This prestigious recognition, which bested Donald Trump’s National Bedminster in New Jersey (#2), comes six months after all 18 holes were opened in July.

“This is something we are certainly proud of,” Head Golf Pro and Golf Manager Sean Tannehill said in an interview last week. “This is a golf course that is designed for everybody. My favorite thing about the course is the possibility of playing a multitude of different approaches, which enables a lot of bump and runs and a lot of great shots.”

The editors at Golf Magazine also made note of the way the course uses the natural landscape: “Purists will appreciate the tough forced carries and greens that often demand run-up approach shots, and the fast greens and shaved surrounds even things up for players of all abilities.”

The course was designed according to Norman’s well-known “least disturbance” philosophy, which curtails massive earth movement, reduces large-scale clearing and takes full advantage of the natural features on the landscape. The course covers more than 300 acres and is designed to provide golfers at all skill levels an enjoyable game.

“When Greg Norman first toured the land on snowmobile, he immediately saw the potential for the golf course and we partnered with him knowing that we had selected the best designer in the business,” said Larry Corsen, senior vice president of Hunt Realty Inc., a privately held real estate investment company, and owner and operator of Cornerstone. “We are thrilled to see our dream of Greg’s talent come to fruition and be recognized as the number one private golf course by Golf Magazine. We are truly honored to be at the top of this revered category of golf course in the United States.”

As if the #1 ranking wasn’t enough, Tannehill said that Cornerstone will be hosting the Colorado Senior Amateur Championship the first week in September.

“For us, it is a great way to get senior competitive players to play our course and to this part of Colorado,” said Tannehill. “All of these championships have always been held out on the Front Range [of Colorado] and it is a great opporunity for us.”

Members of Cornerstone have access to a 20-plus acre practice facility and some of the finest golf professionals and staff in the nation. Mark Wood has consistently been ranked one of the top 50 instructors in the country for the past 10 years, and Kathy Hart-Wood, former LPGA touring pro and also a celebrated top 50 instructor as named by Golf for Women, is director of women’s golf. Cornerstone also recently celebrated the opening of its clubhouse, which includes a casual bar and grill, outdoor dining and the Village Mercantile, featuring a golf pro shop and outfitters’ headquarters.

Written by Gus Jarvis

35 Acres is Best?

Posted by:

Erin Eddy

www.ourayland.com
www.ridgwayland.com


December 26, 2008

Oh, the curse of the 35-acre parcel. The old ranchers' saying goes, "to small to farm, too big to mow."

Yet 35 is the magic number in Ouray County's unique and innovative Land Use Code (LUC). In both Valley and Alpine zones, where the LUC discourages development, that is the number of acres where private property owners have the right to construct a home.

The LUC is the companion document to the county's Master Plan. There, in Section A, the county's collective goal is "to encourage the continued use of lands for agricultural productivity." To date, much of that goal has been met; Ouray County's valued valleys have mostly remained with haying and cattle activities, though a few homes have sprung up at the 35 acre density.

Outgoing County Commissioner Don Batchelder warns that just because the Master Plan aspiration is being met today, that doesn't mean it won't be tomorrow.

"… there are a number of factors, economic and personal, facing a number of the smaller ranches in the county's valleys that indicate agricultural lands are at risk," writes Batchelder, in a two-page proposal titled "Incentivizing Cluster Development in the Valley Zone Through the Developer Agreement Process."

At first blush, the proposal seems to have great potential to be a win-win proposition — preventing the break-up of parcels into the undesirable 35s, and giving landowners a means to preserve the considerable value of their land. The proposal deserves a thorough hearing, and if favored by those it affects, implementation.

As Batchelder points out, ranchers are typically a tough sell when it comes to government regulation. As such, to gain buy-in, the new code would have to be fairly straight forward. He proposes:

n The density per housing unit in the Valley Zone be doubled, to 70 acres.

n Ranch owners could cluster houses under a development agreement, as long as 80% of the land remains dedicated to agriculture, and that water rights remain tied to the property.

In all, five amendments to the LUC are proposed, but Batchelder's solution to the 35-acre dilemma remains simple, and seemingly viable.

Written by: David Mullings

Protecting Ouray's Future

Posted by Erin Eddy

www.ourayland.com
www.ridgwayland.com

Written by:

Christopher Pike

December 19, 2008

OURAY — Before he leaves office next month, Don Batchelder wants to address an issue he believes is important for the future of ranching in Ouray County.

The issue: Incentives for the preservation of ranch lands and, in tandem, keeping water rights with those lands in the county.

"The county hasn't done anything in preserving those facets of the Master Plan," said Batchelder at Monday's Board of County Commissioners meeting. "There is potential for losing some of the ranch lands in the valleys, with only the potential for breaking those tracts into 35s."

Batchelder believes that the Ouray County Master Plan's goal of "encouraging the continued use of lands for agricultural productivity" will not be met without larger tracts being protected from non-ag uses, including housing development.

"The tendency in land use issues is to assume that what exists is how things will remain. However, there are a number of factors, economic and personal, facing a number of smaller ranches in the county's valleys that indicate agricultural lands are at risk," said Batchelder in a two-page white paper titled, "Incentivizing Cluster Development in the Valley Zone through the Development Agreement Process."

The current code, Batchelder points out, "does nothing" to prevent the subdivision of agricultural land into 35-acre parcels and by state law there is no governmental review of these property divisions. And, he adds, the county's Land Use Code does nothing to keep water rights in the county.

With land prices being as high as they are, 35-acre parcels have become the target for non-agricultural development, be it straight-ahead commercial, recreational or industrial, Batchelder said. "Ranchers have a saying about 35-acre lots: 'too small to farm and too big for a lawn'."

The catch is finding an incentive for property owners to preserve productive ag land without diminishing the land's value and to keeping land from being separated from water rights, which ultimately results in land being more conducive for subdivision development — not agriculture.

Regulation alone will not suffice, noted Batchelder.

"Ranchers are typically no-nonsense, self-employed business people with distaste for government regulation. The proposal needs to be understandable, simple, straightforward, and not burdened by unnecessary bureaucratic process."

Batchelder's proposal will be discussed informally at the BOCC's Dec. 22 meeting. One key component is to set maximum densities "except for property divided in accordance with a development agreement." The landowner would have to reciprocate, however, by restricting use of the parcel to agriculture uses, keeping the water rights on the land, and locating any home or homes in a clustered fashion.

Ouray Real Estate Foreclosures

Posted by: Erin Eddy

www.ourayland.com
www.ridgwayland.com

December 05, 2008
Written By - Christopher Pike

Real estate foreclosures are up and tax lien sales have increased substantially this year in Ouray County and surrounding counties.

Reports from three county treasurers indicate a slump in the region's real estate economy.

"We have eight current foreclosures right now, getting two or three over the past few weeks," Ouray County Treasurer Jeanne Casolari reported two weeks ago to the Board of County Commissioners.

Casolari said Monday Ouray County has received nine foreclosures as of Dec. 1; there were seven total foreclosures for all of 2007.

Casolari said there were 88 parcels subject to the 2008 tax lien sale conducted by the treasurer's office in early November, which recovered $185,084 in unpaid tax revenues. Premiums over the amount of taxes owed amounted to $3,890.

Those figures are up by more than $100,000 from 2007 when lien sales totaled $84,079 involving 60 parcels; that amount included $5,410 in premium bids.

Montrose County Treasurer Rosemary Murphy also said as of Dec. 1 there have been 146 foreclosures, 60 more compared to this time in 2007.

Murphy said most of the foreclosures in Montrose County involved improved properties and were situated within the city limits.

At the county's tax lien sales, Murphy said buyers bought liens of 340 properties, about 100 more than last year. Vacant lots and various subdivisions constituted the bulk of those properties, she said.

In San Miguel County there have been 34 foreclosures "so far through 2008," according to Maureen Dorka, chief deputy treasurer, which is 19 more than this time last year. That county's tax lien sale on Nov. 24 yielded $462,677.59 involving 103 properties.

That sales figure includes interest of $28,286.32, recovered advertising fees and premium bids over the amount in arrears. "That compares with 98 properties that were sold last year," said Dorka.

Ouray Hot Springs Grant?

November 28, 2008

Posted by:

Erin Eddy
www.ourayland.com
www.ridgwayland.com

Written By: Samantha Tisdel Wright

The natural hot springs that bubble to the surface along the Uncompahgre River and Canyon Creek near Ouray are good for more than skinny-dipping.

Ouray Mayor Bob Risch and others involved in a geothermal inventory currently underway envision a day when that free energy can be put to use as a small-scale energy source for the municipality.

A $25,000 grant, awarded to the city by the Governor's Energy Office (GEO) on Oct. 2, is funding the effort to chronicle the many springs that surface within city limits.

"We recognize that we are exceptionally fortunate in our available geothermal and hydroelectric resources and have a responsibility to utilize these assets in the most efficient ways possible," wrote Risch in the grant request. "Our primary interest at this stage in the exploration of our geothermal resources is the complete inventorying of our springs in terms of energy content, options for cost-effective utilization, and legal ownership history and status."

Nobody knows Ouray's hot springs better than hydrologist and geothermal consultant Wayne Goin, who for years has worked for Linda Wright-Minter monitoring the hot springs which feed her Wiesbaden enterprise, and is now consulting with the city in its geothermal surveying efforts. His methodology is pretty simple – put on a pair of sneakers and wade up the river until you feel it getting warmer.

That's how he found "The Minions," a group of hot springs that surfaces along Canyon Creek, for which he filed rights on behalf of Wright-Minter years ago.

The Minions now belong to the city, which got them in a settlement with Wright-Minter following an ugly legal battle stemming from an extensive effort some 20 years ago to drill for and exploit additional sources of hot water in Ouray in the 1980s. The city is still paying off debt servicing for the $550,000 settlement. The lawsuit also had statewide ramifications in the form of Geothermal Rules adopted by the state in the 1980s, followed by strict new requirements for well drilling by the state's Division of Water Resources in 2004.

This time around, a more cautious approach is being taken, by all who are involved. First and foremost, drilling is out of the equation.

"Our approach to the inventorying process is non-invasive," Goin stressed. "We're simply trying to get a snapshot in time of what's going on with the geothermal resources.... It's kind of the hobo approach."

Which basically means, wade up into the canyon, GPS the known springs and take their temperature, measure their outflow, and maybe find some new ones in the process. From the Minions to the fish pond, a lot of geothermal energy is currently going to waste.

Winter is an ideal time to conduct this kind of work, Goin explained, because both the level of groundwater and the river are at their lowest levels of the year. In spring and summer, many of the hot springs which surface along Canyon Creek are obscured by spring run-off.

A report from the city to the GEO regarding the endeavor is due by mid-May, and may be followed by a county-wide hot-springs inventory. The immediate goal is to have monitoring of all known hot springs in place by the end of the year, Risch said.

A logical succeeding step outlined in the GEO grant will be the preparation of a plan to update the heating plants of appropriate public buildings and facilities in Ouray. As stated in the grant request, "The second phase will involve the identification of appropriate projects and requisite funding perhaps including carbon-offset sources, to begin replacing fossil fuel space heating plants with geothermal options."

The Colorado Geothermal Development Strategic Plan has identified Ouray County as one of several areas in the state with the potential to develop geothermal energy. The new energy standard spelled out by Gov. Bill Ritter mandates that 20% of all energy produced in Colo. must be renewable by the year 2020. Toward that end, the GEO is currently supporting efforts to inventory the state's considerable geothermal resources.

The Bureau of Land Management, too, has launched ambitious plans to assess the geothermal potential.

Electricity generation is beyond the scope of what the city is trying to do with its current inventorying project, but Risch, who has made energy efficiency the cornerstone of his mayoral role since he took office nearly a year ago, wouldn't mind harnessing some of the tail-water and overflow that currently goes to waste, and using it to heat a municipal building or two.

As he prepared to pull on some waders and head up into Canyon Creek with Goin earlier this week, the mayor paused, grinning. "Every day is another revelation."

Water call in Ouray County

Posted by Erin Eddy

www.ourayland.com
www.ridgwayland.com

November 21, 2008

Written by:

Samantha Tisdel Wright

Thirsty desert cities like Phoenix, Las Vegas, and Los Angeles could conceivably leave Ouray County high and dry, if proper action is not taken to protect water rights, attorney Andy Mueller warned the Ouray City Council this week.

"All kinds of rights are subject to being cut off," Mueller said, "even municipal rights."

Mueller is Ouray County's representative on the Colorado River Water Conservation District (CRWCD) Board, which since 1937 has been protecting Western Colorado water on behalf of the more than 500,000 Coloradoans who live on the western side of the Continental Divide.

The Colorado River, the vena cava of the American West into which much of the snowpack and springwater of the San Juan Mountains eventually drains, meanders its way through seven states before (just barely) making it across the border into Mexico and the Gulf of California.

It's water is divvied up according to two "Colorado River Compacts" dating back to 1922 and 1948.

In 2007, the Colorado State Legislature commissioned a study to determine just how much of our namesake river's water is left to develop.

"The study goes to the heart of a Colorado River District concern that the Colorado River basin not fall under a compact call," wrote board president Peter Kasper in the district's annual report, "whereby Colorado might have to cut back on its water use in order to meet water delivery obligations to other states downstream."

Thus far, the Colorado River Basin, to which the Uncompaghre River is a tributary, has remained free from a dread compact call.

"And we want to keep it that way through good planning that acknowledges that there is a finite water supply," Kasper emphasized.

Downstream Colorado River states would like nothing better than to open up the compacts for renegotiation, but Utah, Wyoming, Colorado and New Mexico, with their much smaller populations and political clout, are "afraid we would get run over," if that ever happened, Mueller said.

Even with good planning, climate change and urban sprawl are growing threats to upstream water users in the Colorado River Basin.

The affects of climate change are already beginning to manifest in a shorter run-off season, which impacts the flow of the river and the people who depend upon it downstream. The Colorado River Water Conservation District Board has been actively generating innovative ideas, such as water banking and planned fallowing to help up-stream water users get through dry years without triggering a compact curtailment.

"We can't turn fire hydrants off," Mueller said. "Cities will be looking at alternative ways to augment their water rights. They could, for example, buy up ranch land with pre-1922 rights and then let that water flow to Lake Powell, to make up for the water they take at the headwaters."

It's not just the cities downstream in the Colorado River watershed that have cast a larcenous eye upon the pristine water of the San Juans. Sprawling Front Range Colorado communities are equally thirsty and greedy, often exhibiting what Mueller called a "buy it and dry it" mentality when it come to water rights.

This spectre could loom for Western Slope communities like Ouray and Ridgway if protective action is not taken, Mueller warned. "It's a huge issue that will take years for a solution. And it has the potential to impact the county."

Only once in the recent past has Ouray's water been subject to call. That was during the drought of 2002. If the letter of the law had been explicitely followed at that time, Mueller said, the city should have stopped the diversion of Weehawken Spring, its sole municipal water source.

City Council and staff have been actively addressing the issue of water rights in recent months and have hired Wright Water Engineering to conduct an inventory of the city's water rights and options for augmentation.

Swimming Upstream?

Posted by:

Erin Eddy

www.ourayland.com
www.ridgwayland.com

November 14, 2008

Written By:

Samantha Tisdel Wright

Everyone knows that the Ouray Hot Springs Pool is the biggest cash cow the city has going, generating revenue of almost a cool million, annually.

But that money, which is used to prop up the city's whole "parks" infrastructure (from the North Ouray Corridor to the Community Center to Box Cañon Park and everything in between) has been stretched too thin. The 2008 ending fund balance for the Parks Fund is projected to be $793,464 in the red.

That's a pretty big number. Big enough to have caught the attention of auditors who scrutinize the city's books. And the word has come down: "You'd better fix it."

The city's draft 2009 budget proposes to start doing this by taking the community center (an annual $70,652 expenditure) and the dredging of the North Ouray Corridor (for which $20,000 is budgeted every spring) out of the Parks Fund and parking them in the General Fund, instead. But the city still has a long hard slog to get its parks budget back in the black. Administrator Patrick Rondinelli said if the current pattern holds, the Parks Fund is projected to remain in a deficit until "at least 2023."

How did this come to be? Quite simply, the cash cow is being multi-tasked dry. Or in the words of Rondinelli, "operating expenses are outpacing revenues." Of a projected $950,000 in pool revenues in 2009, the pool itself will rack up $822,000 in operating expenses. That doesn't leave a whole lot of leftovers to spread around to the city's considerable parks infrastructure.

"Per capita, Ouray probably has more park lands per resident than any other town in Colorado, with the possible exception of Boulder," Rondinelli said. "And we're trying to acquire the Ice Park, which will add even more."

Many municipalities have a taxable "Parks and Rec" district to cover the upkeep of their community assets. But the City of Ouray's budget is set up in such a way that the "Parks Fund" gets its revenues exclusively from the pool and Box Cañon Park (a combined $1.3 million in the 2008 budget).

This fund, set up as an "enterprise fund," is separate from the city's "General Fund" which pays for the day-to-day operations of the municipality. All taxes and fees collected by the city flow directly into the General Fund. By law, no more that 10% of moneys in one kind of fund can flow into another.

Thus, the sales taxes and fees collected by the city cannot, under the current structure, go toward the maintenance of the city's park lands.

The Parks Fund currently encompasses the Hot Springs Pool and gym, Box Cañon Park, Rotary Park, Lee's Ski Hill, the North Ouray Corridor, and "general parks and services," including Community Center expenses, which will shift to the General Fund next year. None of these places are cheap to maintain – the city spends $20,000 annually at Rotary Park, alone – and only the pool and Box Canyon Park bring in direct revenues.

Making matters worse is a $550,000 legal settlement pertaining to a 2004 dispute in which the city was accused of disturbing the Wiesbaden's geothermal source, which drains the Parks Fund of $114,000 annually in debt service. The last payment will be made in 2010.

All of this is bad news for the cash cow itself. According to Rondinelli, out of every $10 the Hot Springs Pool brings in, only $4 goes back to the pool. "If it were being run more like a business than a city facility, all of the money the pool brought in would be sunk back into improving the facility."

Pool revenues themselves are in a projected pattern of decline. In '08, actual pool attendance and revenues were down 3-4% from projected levels, and Rondinelli, a stalwart realist, sees no reason to hope economic conditions will change in the next few years.

"We're going to face significant changes, and not just in '09. I lie awake at night thinking about it," he admitted.

Working with City Council members over the coming months, Rondinelli hopes to start exploring some long-term solutions to the parks deficit dilemma. "A rec district is an option worth exploring," he said. "Or, what if the city leased the pool to a private entity? The Parks Fund is complicated. It has its own nuances that make it an interesting thing to work on."

New Ouray and Ridgway development fees

Posted by Erin Eddy

www.ourayland.com
www.ridgwayland.com


November 12, 2008
Agreeing with the county staff that it is "long overdue," county commissioners will raise some of the fees charged by the Land Use Department in time for the new year.

Mark Castrodale, interim county planner, said after consensus by the Board of County Commissioners that he will have a comprehensive fee schedule prepared by early December for consideration of adoption by resolution.

Castrodale presented to the BOCC an analysis of current fees charged by the Land Use Department for various processes; not including building permit fees. "My records show … fees have not been reviewed or modified since 2004 … we appear to be grossly undercharging for some of our services," Castrodale wrote in a memo.

Castrodale explained to the BOCC on Monday that he used his salary's hourly rate and calculated the amount of time necessary for him to process various services – ranging from sketch plans to final plats – then reduced the total by one-third to propose a fee's rate.

"The issue, in general, is that it's been long overdue," he said."I tried to be hugely conservative."

For example, Castrodale said current fees for a limited planned unit development (PUD) of three lots or less are $750 for a sketch plan, $750 for a preliminary development plan, and $250 for a final development plan. He proposes raising the preliminary development plan fee to $1,500 and the final development plan to $500 in addition to establishing a $250 fee for the final plat. During the process of estimating new fees for Ouray County, Castrodale said he called Montrose County for a comparison. For these same four services, Montrose County will charge a total of $6,445.

"We are subsidizing development," said Castrodale. "Our current rates do not even cover my time."

BOCC Chairman Keith Meinert agreed that an increase in fees are needed, especially in comparison to Montrose County. but asked if higher fees could be charged at the end of a project when a developer is more certain of a successful outcome. "I agree that it's time consuming," Meinert said, "but I wonder if front-end costs would be so high it might discourage people from trying."

Castrodale said the bulk of work by Land Use staff is "front-end loaded" and requires the same amount of time whether the project is successful or not. He would prefer to deal with those "isolated situations" of projects that are unsuccessful, or withdrawn, on a case-by-case basis.

Commissioner Heidi Albritton backed Castrodale's reasoning. "If they (developers) are working with staff, there is no reason it shouldn't go through," Albritton said. "The hand-holding and direction takes place at the beginning of the process. No outcome is guaranteed. If they choose to go through with a plan despite the advice of staff, it's not Mark's problem. We need to get on a proactive track and keep up with the times."

Commissioner Don Batchelder likewise agreed the fee review is long overdue, saying he first asked about it six years ago. "Let's say Mark's ideas are good and take them at face value," said Batchelder. "I think your (proposed) fees are low. You took off one-third, you should have added 50% more and it probably still would not have covered the costs."

Meinert said the revised fees are a "step in the right direction." Fellow commissioners, and Castrodale, agreed with his suggestion that Castrodale define his simple review and complex review fees for a development site inspection in line with zones established in 2002 for assigning or verifying addresses and inspecting driveways. Zone 1 is six miles from the Land Use Office in Ridgway while zone 2 is 12 miles and zone 3 is more than 12 miles travel.

Recommended changes in fees are in the categories of limited PUD (three lots or less); regular PUD (more than three lots); a recreation/resort PUD; boundary line adjustment; appeals to the Board of Zoning Adjustment (variance); minor amendments to the Land Use Code; a site development permit; a plat correction; and site inspections for a weed management plan, PUD, special use permit, address verification or driveway inspection. Castrodale did not recommend any increases for a final plat amendment , a special use permit, or exemptions and exceptions allowed within the code.

— By Patrick Davarn, news editor

Ouray Road Tax

Ouray County Road Funding Supported

November 07, 2008

Written By: Patrick Davarn

Posted By: Erin Eddy

www.ourayland.com
www.ridgwayland.com

Ouray County has gained voter approval to supplement its Road & Bridge budget. The proposed one-cent sales tax passed by a slim margin of 66 votes (1,464-1,398), according to unofficial counts from the County Clerk's office.

Keith Meinert, Board of County Commissioners chairman, said he was gratified the public agrees that the county must maintain road infrastructure and preserve its most valuable asset. The additional funds are specifically earmarked to the Road & Bridge Department.

"As we are also seeing at both the state and national levels, the maintenance of our roads and bridges will only get more challenging due to escalating costs of construction, high fuel costs, increased usage and decreasing fuel tax collections," said Meinert. "This additional funding from a sales tax increase will help us meet these challenges and reduce our dependence on trickle-down handouts from Denver. I want to assure the public that the county will use this additional funding wisely. I encourage the public's participation in Road Committee and BOCC meetings to help us develop the county's road maintenance strategy and prioritization."

This year's result counters last November's outcome, when voters decided 901-802 that they did not want a 3% use tax to help pay for road maintenance and improvements. The county has had a 1% sales tax, as allowed by the state, since 1985. Earlier this summer, the state legislature set new rules that allow counties to ask voters for additional sales tax revenues.

County officials told voters that the additional 1% sales tax was necessary due to projected reductions in the Highway Users Tax Fund (HUTF), which annually provides 40% of the monies in the Road & Bridge Department budget. The BOCC has have pledged 60% of these new proceeds toward routine road operations and 40% to improvements and capital purchases.

Total revenue in the 2008 Road & Bridge budget is estimated at $1.5 million. Of this amount, approximately 42% ($601,114) is derived from state sources (primarily HUTF) and 19% is from local property taxes ($315,729). Road & Bridge currently has a dedicated revenue source of 1.5 mils and the BOCC has historically transferred the equivalent amount of 1 mil levy ($194,401) from the General Fund. Other revenue sources include federal sources, reimbursements and impact fees utilized for capital infrastructure.

Locals get er done!

Locals just get projects done

Written by David Mullings - Ouray Plaindealer

Posted by Erin Eddy

www.ourayland.com
www.ridgwayland.com

October 31, 2008

Can do.

That's probably what I like best about living in Ouray County.

Sixteen years ago, a bunch of good people got together and formed the Mount Sneffels Education Foundation. The organization, which provides innovative programs that give students here fantastic learning opportunities, thrives today. MSEF is on its way to building a self-sustaining trust.

Seven years ago, a group of folks here saw an amazing piece of publicly owned land that was going unused. They jumped through a bunch of hoops, today, we have the Top of the Pines, an outdoor camp on Miller Mesa that serves as a dynamite outdoor education facility.

Five years ago, an emergency services shuffle squeezed the Ouray Mountain Rescue Team into a single garage bay. How did the all-volunteer group respond? With the help of a legion of supporters and some county-donated land, OMRT went out and built a wonderful two-story rescue center at the Ice Park. The team gained a certificate of occupancy last week, and plans an open house to show off the facility in mid November.

Can do.

2008 3rd Quarter Ouray County Sold Stats

Posted by Erin Eddy

provided by
Montrose Association of REALTORS

Statistics for Ouray County Jan 1 - Sept. 30, 2008

TOTAL HOMES (includes new home sales)

Homes Sold : 54
Total Price : $19,456,400
Average Price : $360,303
Median Price : $300,000
Range in Price : $25,000 - 1,200,000

COMMERCIAL PROPERTY

Units Sold : 7
Total Price : $1,512,800
Average Price :$216,114
Median Price : $185,300
Range in Price :$52,500 - 623,000

VACANT LAND

Units Sold : 19
Total Price : $5,182,125
Average Price : $272,743
Median Price : $175,000
Range in Price :$110,000 - 1,600,000

FARM & RANCH

Units Sold : 1
Total Price : $525,000
Average Price : $ 525,000
Median Price : $ 525,000
Range in Price :$ 525,000

ALL PROPERTIES

Units Sold : 81
Total Price : $26,676,325
Average Price : $329,337
Median Price : $280,000
Range in Price :$25,000 - 1,600,000

*This information is deemed reliable but not guaranteed.

Ouray Ice Park Expansion

Ice Park gets 'Stump Wall'

Posted by Erin Eddy

www.ourayland.com
www.ridgwayland.com

October 24, 2008
Written By Samantha Tisdel Wright

The newest expansion of the Ouray Ice Park, to be called the"Got Stump Wall," is currently under development and should be operational in time for the winter climbing season, said OIPI Executive Director Erin Eddy.

A brainchild of ice climber and Rigging for Rescue owner Mike Gibbs, the new wall is unique in that it is located on the opposite side of the Uncompahgre River gorge from all of the other climbs in the park. "Mike has had this in his head for years," Eddy said. The area is adjacent to the penstock trestle that crosses the gorge near Box Canyon Park, and is easily accessible from Highway 550 in snow-free months.

The wall will feature six new routes, each with 90 feet of "dead vertical," Eddy said. He estimated that on the WI (Water Ice) system of rating difficulty, the climbs will rank in the range of four to five, with six being most difficult. Most climbs in the park are in the range of three.

Two ice park employees have been at work in the vicinity of the new wall, clearing trees and scrub, and installing anchor bolts, Eddy said, adding that local metalsmith Jeff Skoloda will be building a grate with vertical risers and screening to make the area, which has significant exposure, somewhat more secure.

The next step will be to install plumbing to create the new ice falls, which will come across the penstock trestle, Eddy said.

"Rob (Holmes, OIPI's chief 'Ice Farmer') gets sick of us," he grinned. "We keep expanding."

"Got Stump" takes its name from ice climber Malcolm Daly, who lost his foot to frostbite after falling from Alaska's Thunder Mountain, but continued to climb, and climb hard. While playing auctioneer at a fund-raiser at the Ouray Ice Fest several years ago, he was wearing a t-shirt emblazoned with the irreverent logo "Got Stump?" which had been given to him by Chris Folsom, a Ouray local who had managed to chop off one of his fingers some years ago and also continued to climb.

Once everything else had been successfully auctioned off, Folsom yelled for Daly to sell the shirt off his back. He did, and got a couple hundred dollars for it.

The "Got Stump" shirt turned up again at successive Ice Fest auctions, raising first $2,000, then $3000, then $3500. The winner of the shirt was entrusted with it for the coming year, instructed to keep it safe and warm, and take it out on some adventures.

Recent custodians have included Warren Macdonald, a double amputee climber, and Kim Csizmazia, who had her hip replaced last year.

At Ice Fest 2007, the humble t-shirt raised a remarkable $7,500, this time through donations rather than at auction, and was entrusted for the year to Durango climber Joseph Miller. The money has been used to create a permanent kids climbing area at the Park, which includes a memorial to fallen climbers designed and built by Jeff Skoloda.

Oktoberfest contest winners announced

Posted by Erin Eddy
Source: Ouray Plaindealer
October 10, 2008

This year's Jeep raffle winner at the annual Oktoberfest celebration is James Puckett, maybe.

Ouray Chamber Resort Association Executive Director Jennifer Loshaw said Wednesday that Puckett has 30 days to respond to OCRA's notification, but his winning ticket only has a phone number, no address. Loshaw said if Puckett fails to collect his prize, OCRA will contact the holder of an alternate ticket drawn, a resident from Kansas.

The Ouray County Historical Society also had two winners during the Oktoberfest celebration last Saturday at the Ouray Community Center. Martha Metzger, a part-time Ouray resident and one of the ladies who made the raffle quilt, had her name drawn to receive the beautiful handmade quilt is patterned after a historic quilt hanging in the OCHS museum. Nancy Johnston, a resident of Montrose, had her name drawn for a line drawing of the Mountain Top Mine by artist John Hayes.

And the winner of the ATV raffle, sponsored by the Ouray Volunteer Fire Department, is Larry Haller of Ridgway.

Be bear aware: activity increases in the fall

Posted by Erin Eddy
Denver

October 10, 2008

DENVER — Autumn is when black bears become more active, setting the stage for an increase in bear sightings and possibly encounters.

The Colorado Division of Wildlife (DOW) reminds residents and visitors that bears are searching for food to prepare for the denning season, which begins in early to mid-November. From now until then, bears will look for food wherever they can find it and the result may lead them closer to people or homes.

While Colorado's bears usually run, rather than confront humans, encounters do occur and people should know a few things about how to react, or better yet, how to avoid an encounter altogether by reducing the likelihood of attracting bears in the first place.

Human injuries caused by bears are rare in Colorado. In the few cases when people are injured, it usually involves food left where bears can find it, or is the result of a surprise encounter.

When bears become habituated to food left out by people, it can lead to conflicts, property damage, the possibility of injury and eventual destruction of the bear. The DOW has the following recommendations to reduce the chances of having a close encounter with a black bear on a homeowner's property:

n Do not feed wild animals (against the law to feed foxes, coyotes or bears) and play it safe if you have bird feeders in bear country. Feeding wildlife, including birds, can draw bears into an area. Once bears become comfortable in an area where they find food, they will continue to return. Bears have an amazing ability to recall areas where food was easily available from year to year. A "neighborhood bear" can become a real problem for homeowners and neighbors.

n Tips for safely feeding birds include: restrict feeding to when bears hibernate, which is generally November through April; avoid bird foods that are particularly attractive for bears, such as sunflower seeds, hummingbird nectar, or suet; bring feeders inside at night or suspend them from high crosswires; and temporarily remove feeders for two weeks if visited by a bear. Encourage your neighbors to do the same.

n Don't place garbage outside until pick-up day. A 1994 Arizona study discovered that putting trash cans out the morning of the pickup reduced bear visits from 70% to less than5%. Garbage or food items, including pet food, should be stored inside the garage or secure storage shed. Garage doors should not be left open except for very brief periods during the day.

n Keep your distance. If a bear shows up in your backyard, stay calm. From a safe distance, shout at it like you would to chase an unwanted dog. Children should understand not to run, approach or hide from a bear that wanders into the yard, but, instead, to back away and walk slowly to the house.

n Eliminate temptation. Bears that visit areas of human habitation are drawn there by food. Neighbors need to work together to reduce an area's appeal to bears.

For more information and tips on preventing conflicts with bears, go to DOW's webpage (http://wildlife.state.co.us) and the link Wildlife Species.

Expert explains links between mining and energy

Posted by Erin Eddy


October 03, 2008
Plaindealer staff report

"Mining for energy independence," with a focus on renewable resources, is the topic of a public presentation at 7 p.m. Thursday, Oct. 9, at the Ouray Community Center.

Jim Burnell of the Colorado Geological Survey will talk about the importance of finding and developing domestic sources of minerals required for the development of generating energy from renewable sources.

Ouray County Surveyor Bob Larson said he expects attendance to represent the interests of mining, the environment and the general public.

According to Burnell, public support is growing for the development of energy generation from renewable sources. However, an aspect of renewable energy possibly unknown by many is the hardware needed for these technologies.

"The infrastructure requires mined materials, including imported strategic and critical minerals," said Burnell.

Burnell said silica, copper, gallium, indium, selenium, cadmium and tellurium are required for the dominant photovoltaic technologies. Silver and aluminum are necessary for "concentrating" solar power technology. Zinc, vanadium, platinum group metals and rare earth elements are key components of power storage, hybrid vehicle, and fuel cell applications.

"All these materials must be mined," said Burnell. "At present, the U.S. is woefully dependent upon import sources for most of these materials and demand is already squeezing the prices.

Domestic sources must be found and developed if energy independence is to be achieved using alternative sources." For information about the program, call Larson at 325-4600.

Forest Service Ice Park Deal Looming

Posted by Erin Eddy

October 03, 2008
By Samantha Tisdel Wright

City and Forest Service officials appear to finally be on the same page, regarding the city's proposed acquisition of U.S. Forest Service inholdings at the Ouray Ice Park.

Mayor Bob Risch met with USFS officials on Monday to discuss a recent proposal for the city to purchase slightly more than 20 acres of Forest Service land encompassing the Ice Park and the city's adjacent shooting range.

"Both sides want it done," Risch said. The city will conduct a survey of the area in the coming weeks, after which the Forest Service will need to conduct an appraisal before acquisition can move forward.

Two portions of the Ouray Ice Park are owned by the USFS, said OIPI Executive Director Erin Eddy: an area below the lower bridge, known as "Five Fingers," and the "New Frontier" further up the gorge to the south, toward the reservoir.

Risch estimated that the acquisition process would "slip into 2009," but was encouraged that the city's formerly stymied efforts to consolidate ownership of the park are finally inching forward.

"We missed it so badly last time," he said, referring to a former proposal by the city to purchase 40 acres of land in the area. This proposal included ice park and shooting range parcels as well as Forest Service land encompassing the city's water tank.

That proposal was jettisoned earlier this year when a USFS appraisal for the parcels came in at $870,000, a figure which City Administrator Patrick Rondinelli called "completely ridiculous and ludicrous" in that it disregarded the city's and county's own zoning regulations which prohibit development in the area, much of which is literally vertical.

The new proposal, agreed upon Monday, includes only that USFS land which is within the Ice Park's boundary, as well as the shooting range, which the Forest Service wants to get away from the business of permitting. Risch said that in this go-around, he is hoping the Forest Service will agree to use a local appraiser, more familiar with the area's particular real estate climate.

Four entities own land within the ice park: the City of Ouray, Ouray County, the Forest Service, and Eric Jacobsen who owns Ouray's Hydroelectric Plant and much of the land and infrastructure along the south rim of the gorge. The county currently retains administrative oversight of the Ice Park, a duty which County Administrator Connie Hunt is eager to pass off as soon as possible, she told USFS officials at a multi-jurisdictional meeting on Thursday.

Ice Park land acquisition is one of eight priority goals listed by city officials for the upcoming 2009 budget. Other items include the engineering and installation of a new water line from the Box Canon Spring toward the Hot Springs Pool, the replacement of 300 feet of damaged water main near Mineral Farms on Camp Bird Road, the construction of a second water tank, conversion to a Home Rule municipal structure, engineering and installation of of a new diversion in the Skyrocket channel, continued efforts to forward the cause of affordable housing, and adoption of a parks master plan.

Great Doings in Ouray School - Erin Eddy

The Ouray School’s Strategic Plan
by Tim Finkbeiner, Elementary School Principal and Deputy Superintendent of Ouray SchoolsSep 23, 2008 | 30 views | 0 | 0 | | BOARD BULLETIN

The concept of strategic planning has been utilized in the corporate and business world for decades. It has only been in the last 15 years that school districts around the country have begun implementing strategic plans to improve education. The Ouray School District has formulated its first strategic plan to guide the board, administration, teachers, staff, and the community for the next five academic calendar years, through June 2013.

The overarching goal is that: By June 2013 the Ouray School will be recognized as a top 10 percent school on the CSAP test while educating the complete child.

We believe that this goal and the accompanying supporting goals are challenging but realistic and achievable. Success will require a dedicated effort by the entire district and community. As described in previous Bulletins, funds from passage of the mil levy override on this November’s ballot will be used to support important programs that would not otherwise be funded. Many of these programs will require extra funds because their normal funding will be required to support unfunded mandates by the state of Colorado that by law must be implemented.

The plan is being used to establish a common basis and direction for the school and the community to achieve our full set of goals. It is used to set budgets, establish curricula, evaluate the compatibility of potential new hires, hold the district accountable, and to communicate with the community progress towards our mission statement.

The plan was formulated using a process that involved planning teams consisting of district teachers, staff, administration, the board, and the community. This process created:

* a common vision for the future of the school;

* a mission statement to provide a concise yet comprehensive way to communicate articulation of our vision;

* goals, the end points to achieve during the planning period; and

* approximately 100 programs that we will implement to achieve the goals.

The vision and mission statement provide the framework for the plan; the goals and programs constitute the plan itself.

The plan is structured in three major areas, each of equal importance:

* excellence in education fundamentals,

* excellence in education enhancements, and

* excellence in education enablers.

For each of these main areas, the planning teams drafted top-level goals for the school and from these, developed the lower level goals necessary to achieve them. Each goal has a benchmark by which progress and success can be measured.

Once direction was established by the goal setting, the planning teams then defined the individual programs necessary to achieve the goals – how to reach success. Each program incorporates a year-by-year action plan which includes estimated costs by year and the individual responsible for the program.

Progress for each major area will be reviewed on a rotating basis by the board at monthly meetings. Adjustments will be made on an annual basis to reflect the current environment and progress, which will be used to extend the plan for an additional year.

The plan is available for viewing at the school’s website, http://ouray.k12.co.us (click on the District and then the Strategic Plan tabs), at the school office, and at the Ouray Public Library.

Written by Tim Finkbeiner and posted by Erin Eddy

Ouray County Communications Tower versus Ouray Real Estate

RIDGWAY – In one of the most complex issues to come before the Ouray Board of County Commissioners in recent years, an application for a special use permit to erect an 80-foot communications tower and equipment shed on Log Hill Mesa has been approved. However, the approval comes with six conditions, which could ultimately bring the entire matter back before the commissioners at a future date.

The commissioners based their decision on the requirements of the land use code, rather than bowing to pressure to sidestep various review requirements in favor of expediency of providing emergency communications.

The permit’s conditions require that the visual impact restrictions of the Ouray County Land Use Code be considered, and that the Log Hill Village Unit I architectural control committee, or ACC, must also approve the application. Another condition includes a prohibition of lights on the tower.

Commissioner Don Batchelder added a condition requiring a bond for removal of towers at the site that are not being used; he also specified that any uses other than those approved would require additional special use permits. A sixth condition requires appropriate documentation between Verizon and Ouray County on any subleasing of the tower.

The tower is expected to provide multiple services that will enhance emergency communications among state and local agencies, as well as provide better cell phone coverage for the region. Approved uses include an emergency services antenna, the Verizon antennas, which could be up to 12 units total, and a microwave antenna for the Colorado Wireless Interoperability Network.

The requirement for ACC approval could result in an appeal of the permit, since the ACC previously denied the application. Log Hill Village resident and ACC member Jim Kennedy said that the original proposal for an emergency communications structure included a 10-foot antenna, but that the addition of the cell phone component changed the picture. “What Verizon came back with was a gargantuan cell phone tower and well beyond what any of us had envisioned,” Kennedy said. “We’ll support an emergency tower, but this failed the test. Were it not for the Verizon component, this might have worked out. The covenants give us no choice but to say ‘no.’”

The commissioners’ decision was preceded by an exhaustive two-day public hearing. Over 60 citizens registered their wide-ranging views about the suitability of the tower’s location on Aug. 25, and about 30 citizens appeared on Sept. 2, when the commissioners made their final decision.

“You certainly gave us some things to think about,” Commissioner Chair Keith Meinert told those in attendance at the Aug. 25 meeting.

While no one present questioned the need for enhanced emergency communications capability, numerous people questioned whether the proposed site is the best location for such a tower.

Emergency responders from Ouray and Montrose County agreed about the need for a tower, maintaining that the Log Hill Village site is the best one. “Until we have CWIN [Colorado Wireless Interoperability Network], these two radios can’t talk to each other,” said Ouray County Emergency Coordinator Alan Staehle, referring to state’s 800 MHz system and the county’s VHS communication network.

Testimony was conclusive that cell phone traffic from 911 calls is escalating in Ouray County and neighboring communities such as Telluride and Montrose, and that gaps exist in cell phone and pager coverage on Log Hill Mesa and in other corners of the county. Ouray County Director of Public Health Cheryl Roberts told the commissioners about her recent experience involving a rescue and stabilization procedure in which she was “out of communications” for one and a half hours.

Issues were raised about the legal ownership of the proposed tower site. “It’s not a legal property that you can grant building permits on; you’re looking at a precedent you may not want,” said Montrose attorney Bob Thomas, who submitted a 61-page document to the commissioners.

Ouray County Attorney Mary Deganhart informed the commissioners on Sept. 2 that the there is “a lot of ambiguity in the covenants,” but that the parcel in question was owned by the permit’s applicant, Dallas Creek Water Company. “I apologize that it’s kind of as clear as mud,” she added.

Issues of visual impact violations, originally raised at a previous planning commission public hearing, were joined by a question as to whether microwave emissions from the tower pose a health risk to the community. “This tower will subject the entire county to microwave radiation,” said Ruth Davis, who opposes the location of the proposed tower. She tied potential DNA damage, early onset of Alzheimer’s Disease and irregular heart beats to exposure to radiation. “It produces headaches and chronic fatigue; you’ll find people who wake up and are not being able to live in their house,” she said. Davis provided documentation for her position, including material from the International Firefighters Association about the health effects of microwave emissions to firefighters.

Mark Young, president of the Montrose County Sheriff’s Posse, countered that the health effects from microwave emissions are negligible. “You’ll get more microwave energy sitting in front of your microwave. One-half of one watt. It won’t nuke you if you stand there for 100 years.”

Reggie Kajer, a resident of Log Hill who lives nearby, asked the commissioners to explore all of the options before proceeding with an approval. “Stop, set the proposal aside and go into work session with those who have technical or legal knowledge,” Kajer said.

After the two-hour hearing on Sept. 2, Commissioner Heidi Albritton at first objected to the conditions, in part because the review of visual impact regulations and other code compliance issues would extend the process, postponing a solution to the more immediate health, safety and welfare issues that would be solved by the emergency communications aspect of the project. “Our hands are tied by the code. I know where everyone is coming from. But health, safety and welfare trumps look,” Albritton said.

However, Meinert and Batchelder maintained that the board could not sidestep reviews associated with the building permit process, however circuitous it may be.

Written by Christopher Pike and posted by Erin Eddy

Local Economy Holding It's Own

August 22, 2008
It's turning out that, for the local economy, 2008 may be turning out to be "one of those years," reminiscent perhaps of the fire and drought-hampered down year 2002.

We just got back the first important indicators for the all-important summer season. While not disastrous, they are a bit gloomy, about what one might expect in the current climate of high gas prices and a housing crunch.

The City of Ouray just received back its sales taxes from Denver, those collected in June when tourism time was kicking in. The tax number was $81,500, down about 7% from the same period in 2007, though nearly identical to the June 2006 collections.

For the first eight months of 2008, overall sales tax collections remain down by about 1.5%, an amount that translates to a measly $7,500 downturn in tax receipts to the city.

The hotel numbers echoed the sales tax, down from 2007 (52% occupancy rate vs. 54%), and on par with 2006. (And with an extra buck on the lodging tax, those receipts are running almost 40% over last year).

Likewise, admissions to the Hot Springs Pool were off 6%, but in line with 2006.

Glass half-full-type people might say that in the current economy, Ouray seems to be holding its own, that single-digit declines are tolerable.

They might purport that we're still attracting about the same number of tourists, but casual observation indicates that the $4 gasoline means they're coming from closer places, such as Grand Junction and the Front Range. Presumably, many people are choosing to vacation here instead of the big trips to Europe or Disney World.

But the pessimists might look at the June numbers and wonder if we're just waiting for the other shoe to fall. Could the current slow-down just be the tip of an iceberg of serious financial difficulties?

Economic crystal balls are notoriously opaque, so we'll just have to see how it plays out.

Regardless of how the monthly tourism-driven numbers continue to roll in, Ouray enjoyed a jolt of news this week that relates to its economy. And it can only be considered positive.

That, of course, is the purchase of the relatively new water bottling facility that never got over the hump for its originally intended purpose, when 80 or so jobs were first promised.

Now, after years of the seeing the plant/warehouse facility wallow in a morass of legal and financial condition, it is owned free and clear by two local young and energetic entrepreneurs, Ben Lockard and Eli Doose.

With the water bottling equipment headed to Arkansas, that business plan has been thankfully put to rest. Instead, Lockard and Doose intend to use the facility to help create "a new economy" for Ouray, one where small enterprises manufacture specialty products.

We'll eagerly watch to see how this mixed-use light industry develops under the guidance of Lockard and Doose's High Country Development Group.

So for now, while the local economy's not great, this fiscal sky is definitely not falling. And on the horizon, we see some great promise to finally realize the potential of the big facility in north Ouray.

— David Mullings

Bottling Plant and Real Estate Sell

OURAY – The next chapter has begun for the beleaguered BIOTA water bottling plant in north Ouray. The property, which includes the land, plant and equipment, was auctioned to Mountain Pure Water, of Bee Branch, Ark., on Thursday, July 17, for a price tag of $2.35 million. John B. Stacks, a senior officer of the corporation, participated in the bidding. No statement was available from Stacks as to future plans for the plant.

The auction company, GoIndustry/DoveBid, described the package in a brochure as a blow molding and water bottling facility with real estate comprising 3.02 acres of land, a 21,500-square-foot light industrial building and an attached 15,000-square-foot warehouse, as well as assorted bottling equipment.

The seller was United Postal Service Capital Business Credit, of Lubbock, Texas, former creditor to BIOTA. UPS bought the company for $3 million at a foreclosure sale in August 2007, and then auctioned the land, plant and equipment to Black Gold Organic Fertilizer, Inc. in October 2007 for the price of $3.8 million.

Shortly after the October 2007 auction, a legal dispute erupted over ownership of the intellectual property rights involving the brand name BIOTA, an acronym for “Blame It On The Altitude.” Black Gold filed a lawsuit against UPS for the rights, which they claimed were included in the package. The purchase agreement between Black Gold and UPS fell through following a U.S. District Court dismissal of the lawsuit in May 2008.

Immediately following the dismissal, Ouray County Treasurer Jeanne Casolari reported that her office received more than $328,500 from UPS on current and delinquent taxes due for personal property and real estate property at BIOTA.

The plant was constructed in 2003 and went into production in 2004 through a contract with the city for water from the underground Weehawken Spring, but discontinued bottling operations in early 2007.

Ridgway Schools Focused on the Future

RIDGWAY – Preparing students for the complexities of the 21st century’s increasingly competitive marketplace was the theme at the Ridgway School Board’s Tuesday, May 27 meeting. As Board President Kara Mueller explained it, the board’s main goal is to discern “what is the mission of our school district as we prepare our students for the 21st century” – a world, she observed, that’s obviously “different from 20, 30 or 50 years ago.”

In an effort to come up with a mission statement that will inspire students, faculty and the community at large to focus on the future, the board spent more than half-an-hour telephone conferencing with Colorado Association of School Boards advisor Vera Dawson about how to involve the public in the process.

“You don’t want to confuse them,” Dawson cautioned the board, regarding public involvement in coming up with a compelling statement, “or cause them to burn out.” Describing the current mission statement as more “slogan” than mission statement, Dawson emphasized the need to come up with a public process that “won’t bore people to death.”

“It’s always a challenge to get people there,” Mueller told Dawson, “and then, once they are there, to get them to feel they are part of the necessary process,” feeling “useful and heard in the process” and “making it worthwhile for them.”

“We are a small mountain community,” emphasized former Board President Howard Butcher, a lifelong Ridgway area resident, who is moving his family to California later this summer, “and it’s kind of isolated.

“Sometimes I feel a certain amount of complacency” on the part of students and parents, Butcher continued, as well as a lack of awareness that students will eventually compete in the workplace with, say, “Korean students who are studying 15 hours a day” right now to increase their eligibility in the job market.

Butcher, who had begun the meeting by declaring that his recent tour of schools in California – of a range of public, charter and private schools – left him impressed by “the talent and capable teaching here and how there is so much going right, going well here, at our schools,” he went on to emphasize that the district’s mission statement – which it is hoped will be completed by the start of the next school year, will “reflect the reality that we’re very serious about this world” today’s students must prepare themselves for.

The board hopes to have a perfect-pitch mission statement in place for the 2008-09 school year.

Budget ‘Looks in Line’

Comparing the end-of-the-school-year wait to balance the books to “a tidal wave,” with “three-quarters of the revenue coming crashing in” now that the school year has ended, Superintendent Douglas Bissonette voiced confidence that, with $500,000 outstanding, “everything still looks in line; now, it’s a matter of waiting” for revenues mostly from property taxes.

Bingo!

“We want to do more than just a turkey dinner and a carnival” on the fund-raising front, Mueller told the board, and to that end, the board is considering bingo gatherings – as a fundraiser as well as “a vehicle for creating community.”

Greenhouse Studies

District resident Heidi Comstock, who has a greenhouse in her home at Log Hill, and has developed greenhouse-curriculum in the past, has offered to work with the district on a greenhouse program for the schools.

A Cool Mission

The Ridgway High School graduating class earned $1,360,700 in committed scholarship money this academic year; the total committed moneys from colleges accepted by students, to date, is $598,120; and 19 students with college offers have accepted.

Staff Comings and Goings

The board voted unanimously to approve recommendations to hire Emma Brockman as secondary principal; Maggie Guscott (high school math teacher); Anne Hilleman (secondary special ed; Mary Ownes (11/12 English teacher); Mary Haskins (6-8 English teacher); Tim Lyons (technology teacher); Nancy Randall (middle school Spanish teacher); Ryan Wilson (high school social studies teacher) and Jessica Kimball (secondary school PE teacher); Robyn Cascade (third grade teacher); Kelly Charrier (elementary Spanish teacher) and Rebecca Hazen (pre-school teacher.” The board accepted resignations from Kelly Hagemeyer (paraprofessional); Beth Costa (librarian); Charlie Jones (athletic director); and Gina Rogers (English teacher).

Affordable Housing in Ouray?

Affordable Housing on the Wane in Ouray County
by Kate Kellogg1 day 11 hrs ago | 83 views | 0 | 0 | | RIDGWAY – A new analysis of Ouray County’s housing needs, packed with facts and figures, provides the hard evidence of a growing dearth of affordable housing in Ouray County.

Consultants from Denver and San Miguel County presented their Ouray County Housing Needs Assessment to the public on Wednesday, April 16 at the Ridgway Community Center. In view of trends in wages and home prices, the assessment predicts that by 2015, 30 percent of new employee households in the county will need some form of affordable housing.

Nearly half of the 650 Ouray County households who responded to a survey on housing needs ranked affordable housing as one of the most serious problems facing the county.

The assessment was commissioned by the newly formed county-wide Affordable Housing Authority, an independent entity created to help locate, finance, build, and administer affordable housing in Ouray County. The authority is comprised of representatives from the county, City of Ouray and Town of Ridgway. Funded by a grant from the Colorado Department of Local Affairs, the housing needs assessment is the work of two consulting firms: the San Miguel County-based Affordable Housing Solutions and the Denver office of Economic & Planning Systems, Inc.

“One purpose of the assessment was to find out what residents want and need and to target appropriate housing prices,” said Affordable Housing Solutions’ Dawn Ibis.

The report highlights the growing disparity between income and housing prices. While real wages earned in the county have increased by 2.1 percent annually since 2000 (exceeding the rate of increase for the state), the increase in median value of Ouray County homes has risen 11.6 annually since 2003. The median price of a single-family home in Ouray County in 2006 was $395,000 and in 2007, $431,500. The average sale price for a condo or townhouse was $310,000 in 2007.

In 2006, the county’s area median income was $51,250 for a 2.5-person household. Not surprisingly, 26 percent of all renters and 33 percent of homeowners in the county are what the report calls “cost burdened,” meaning they spend over 30 percent of their incomes on housing. Moreover, 40 percent of all county households meet the Department of Housing and Urban Development’s definition of low income, as they earn 80 percent or less of the county’s median income.

Andy Knudtsen, of Economic & Planning Systems, attempted to “put a human face” on such affordability measures. He cited the report’s example of a household comprised of a teacher earning the average 2006 wage of $25,832 and a retail trade worker earning the 2006 average wage of $20,088. Combining their incomes, an affordable house would be priced at $157,400, far below the average available market unit from 2006.

That hypothetical household is earning about 90 percent of the area median income. Those 40 percent of the county’s population who earn 80 percent of the median could only afford a $140,000 home or a $1,000 per month rental unit.

One group that is apparently finding adequate housing is second home owners. While total housing units in Ouray County increased by an average of 112 per year from 2000-2006, the number of resident households increased by about 42 per year. Thus, 70 new housing units per year were either vacant or occupied by part-time residents.

A survey of employers in the county found that about 33 percent of Ouray workers and 75 percent of employees who work in Ridgway commute from other locations, both within and outside Ouray County. The 21 employers who responded attributed a number of employee losses to housing problems. About 25 percent of the employer respondents offer some form of housing assistance to their employees.

To prevent further shrinkage of the employee pool, essential workers should receive priority ranking as candidates for affordable housing, the study recommends. “Teachers, tellers and cops” broadly describes the cross-section of key service providers who may not be able to find affordable housing in the county, noted Knudtsen.

According to the study, the county’s current housing deficit is 165 units, a figure derived by adding the number of unfilled jobs countywide to half of the county’s in-commuters (assuming some employees commute for reasons other than housing costs). Based on employment projections, that deficit could grow to 881 by 2015.

A review of master-planned development projects highlighted the six affordable units planned for the Silvershield development in Ouray and 10 affordably priced units in Ridgway’s Parkside and Preserve developments. According to the assessment, none of the prices for any of these units will be below $220,000, or affordable for households earning less than 100 percent of the median income.

“All of these projects were initiated by developers,” said Ibis. “To achieve lower costs, such projects must be subsidized with state or federal grants.” She said the new affordable housing authority may eventually identify funding sources that will help fill the gaps.

The housing study recommends that Ridgway create a standard zoning requirement that developers set aside a portion of new units as affordable housing. Accordingly, the town should provide incentives to developers such as permit fee waivers, tap fee deferrals and density increases. It suggests that the city of Ouray could capitalize on its tourism economy by designating a fraction of sales or accommodations tax for affordable housing. Ibis noted that Telluride reserves .5 percent of its sales tax for that purpose. Since developable land in Ouray is limited, the city might provide incentives to include affordable housing in redevelopment sites.

Recognizing that the county and municipalities are protective of environmentally sensitive areas, the assessment recommends targeting areas of lesser growth, such as the Colona area, for affordable housing. The county might also use this approach for lands that immediately abut Ridgway and Ouray.

David Schwartz of Economic Planning & Systems commended the countywide attempts to address the area’s critical housing needs. “It’s great to see this collective community effort,” he said. “The challenge is to develop clear and consistent standards and generate public support for administration of future programs.”

Imogene Pass Run News Flash

Road Closures Sought for Next Imogene Pass Run
by Christopher Pike23 hrs ago

OURAY – Long-distance runners on the 17-mile Imogene Pass Run from Ouray to Telluride have experienced increasing conflicts with recreational motor vehicle users while participating in the race according to Rick Trujillo, a founding organizer of the annual event.

At a meeting on Monday, March 31, Trujillo told the Ouray County Commissioners that a greater degree of supervised temporary closure of the roads is now necessary.

Trujillo, president of Imogene Pass Run, Inc., explained that the emergence in recent years of more recreational and off-highway vehicles on the mountainous route during the race is interfering with the runners and threatening their personal safety. In particular, good weather in 2007 led to higher numbers of drivers on the route than in previous years, Trujillo said.

Motorized traffic enters the road from both the Telluride and Ouray sides, and voluntary measures that local businesses have undertaken in the past to control motorized traffic on an informal basis are no longer effective. Previously, Trujillo said, owners of jeep rental businesses, motels and other businesses advised their customers of the temporarily runner-congested roads during the race, and visitors voluntarily limited their use of the road. “But last year…there were lots of irate runners,” Trujillo said.

Trujillo asked the commissioners to provide at least two deputy sheriff personnel, posted signs and more pre-race publicity and notices so that the public will be made aware of the scheduled closures of Camp Bird Road (County Road 361) and Imogene Pass Road (Forest Service Road 869) to all but non-resident and race-related vehicle traffic during this season’s Imogene Pass Run, which this year will be held Sept. 6.

The county commissioners offered to do what they can, including coordinating the effort with the San Miguel County Sheriff’s office. A meeting will be scheduled with Ouray County Emergency Medical Services Chief Medic Norm Rooker and Sheriff Dominic Mattivi, as well as the Mountain Rescue Team to plan a temporary closure.

The Imogene Pass Run has grown in size from six participants in 1974 to over 1,250 runners and walkers from all over the country, according to Trujillo.

Ouray Ice Park Price Tag $870,000

Ouray Ice Park Price Tag: $870,000
by Christopher Pike7 - Ouray County Watch

OURAY – An unexpectedly high price of $870,000 is what an appraiser has attached to 40 acres of U.S. Forest Service land situated on the south edge of Ouray. The acreage, however, is choice: It is the site of the world-acclaimed Ouray Ice Park, the purchase of which has been a topic of negotiation between the forest service and Ouray officials for at least 18 months.

“The appraisal is a little higher than the city would like. We just got it back. We all have a real vested interest for this. We want to help the city,” Tammy Randall-Parker, forest service district ranger, told representatives of Ouray, Montrose and San Miguel counties at their quarterly Tri-County meeting on March 18 in Ridgway.

Both Ouray officials and the forest service would like the deal to be consummated, now that the details have been worked out. But is the late-arriving price out of reach?

City officials see the park as an essential component of Ouray’s reviving winter economy. However, with an already tight budget, and the 6th Street renovation about to break ground at a price tag of $478,000 (of which the city will pay approximately $150,000 out of pocket), acquisition of the ice park is likely to become more complicated.

“I thought there was going to be a land swap or buy/re-sell/trade. I thought it was for land, like an inholding,” said Ouray County Commissioner Keith Meinert.

“Yes, but for essential, critical needs,” replied Randall-Parker. “We can do land exchanges or an outright sale.”

Ouray Mayor Bob Risch told The Watchthat the city is still negotiating, but for less land. “There was not enough of an exchange value. We will have to reduce the size of the parcel. The appraiser is looking for the highest and best value to protect the public’s interest, even though we wouldn’t allow any real estate development… [Ouray’s acquisition of the ice park] is something everybody wants. The forest service doesn’t want the permitting challenges [associated with the ice park] either, including liability concerns.”

In other forest service news, some of the 22 existing range allotments for cattle and sheep in Ouray County could be permanently closed. “It’s down to 13 cattle and nine sheep allotments,” said Randall-Parker. Invoking the Range Rescission Act, the forest service and the Colorado Division of Wildlife have visited with all of the livestock permit holders and are instituting measures to reduce the risk of contact between bighorn sheep and domestic cattle and sheep, which can spread pneumonia to local populations of bighorn.

Randall-Parker also announced that the U.S. Forest Service plans to host field trips on Red Mountain National Historic District’s trails and roads to talk with user groups about management of the areas.

This summer Volunteer Outdoor Colorado will create a new campsite in Yankee Boy Basin for climbers approaching Mount Sneffels, and will eliminate others due to resource damage along the streams.

The forest service has also joined forces with Northern Arizona University’s Ecological Restoration Institute in a forest restoration project covering about 80,000 acres on the Uncompahgre Plateau, according to Randall-Parker.

Alternative Energy Could Make Ouray a Hotspot

OURAY – Energy independence and eco-tourism: these are two facets of Mayor Bob Risch’s new vision for Ouray. Risch presented his ideas to a receptive crowd at the Ouray Business Roundtable on Thursday, March 20 at the Ouray Community Center.

“I’d guess there’s a range of people here today, from those who think that global warming is a bit of a myth to those who think it’s a very serious problem and we’re not addressing it fast enough,” Risch said. “I happen to be on that edge of the range where people think it’s serious.”

Risch presented many possibilities, all focusing on development of the area’s alternative energy resources as well as promoting Ouray as a place where people who care about those sorts of issues can come.

“This is my vision right now: How many ways can we reduce our energy consumption, and then making this town known for that,” he said.

Risch began by citing Ouray’s abundant geothermal energy.

“We can use that energy in many ways,” Risch said, adding that new technologies make it possible to harvest energy even from cooler springs and tail water from the springs that are already in use, such as the hot springs pool. Risch said increased funding for alternative energy projects, especially from the Governor’s Energy Office, could help fund such projects in Ouray.

Risch also cited the century-old hydropower plant, owned by Eric Jacobson. He said that with newer equipment, the plant could produce up to one megawatt of energy, enough to power the city of Ouray.

Risch also said that the Ridgway Reservoir has significant energy-producing capacities.

“Even in low-flow years, there’s enough water there to create two to four megawatts of electricity,” he said. In fact, the dam was built with possible hydroelectric capabilities in mind, and the town of Aspen has expressed interest in partnering to make use of the site.

On the tourism front, Risch envisioned attracting people who want to leave a small carbon footprint when they vacation.

“Visitors to Ouray in the future will have it in their minds that this is important to them,” he said. “They’ll be looking for ways to vacation and recreate that don’t impact the environment unnecessarily.”

From the naturally heated hot springs pool to the numerous hiking trails in the region, there is plenty to draw the environmentally minded, Risch said. As a former member of the Red Mountain Task Force, he also has his sights set on the high country, where the U.S. Forest Service is looking at reopening old mining roads.

“What would we as a community like to encourage? Do we want to open it to everybody or is there some room for creativity? Maybe you can take a motorized vehicle up there, it just can’t burn carbon,” he suggested.

A big part of Risch’s plan would be to replace some of the streetlights with more efficient lighting, possibly high pressure sodium, which he said is two and a half times more efficient than the current mercury vapor lights.

The question and answer session that followed ranged from the idealistic to the mundane. While some citizens were interested in mandatory commercial recycling and changing out the city’s fleet to energy-efficient vehicles, others remained concerned with snow on the sidewalks and gravel on the streets. A newer resident asked if Risch expected flooding to be a problem this spring.

“The city is stockpiling sandbags,” he said. “It’s going to be an interesting spring.” Risch said that an area of particular concern is Skyrocket Creek, where a dam that formerly protected the hot springs pool is now gone and needs to be replaced.

Snow removal remained a hot topic of debate.

“We’ve just passed 17 feet of snow this year,” Risch said. “One or two more feet and we’ll break the record.” He said the city has gone through a record amount of diesel fuel hauling the snow, and that they’ve run out of places to put it. “It’s been a real strain on the city budget,” he said.

One main street business owner brought the discussion back to Risch’s new vision. “I think we’re on the edge,” she said. “I think this town is uniting, and it’s very exciting to me.”

Risch was encouraged by the public’s response to his ideas.

“It’s been rewarding for me to get the feedback that I’ve been getting, because I honestly didn’t know what was going to happen,” he said.

Another Great Day in Ouray

The sun is shining brightly in Ouray County today. The mountain snowpack is deep and the locals are out in force traveling to the backcountry to get some spring skiing in. There is a steady stream of cars snaking through Ridgway on the way to Telluride. Main street Ouray is busy with tourists walking about shopping and looking for real estate.

With investors quite nervous in the stock market, we recently have seen increased interest in Ouray, Ridgway and Ouray County property.

In 2007, the overall number of real estate transactions was down in Ouray County. Dollar values however increased. Single family sales numbers were down as well with the dollar values up. Vacant land numbers were down with the dollar values starting to increase over a drop off in 2007. The growth rate in Ouray County incresed by 10.7% over 2006 percentages. Single family median sales prices increased in Ouray County in 2007. This increase was attributable to several large dollar value sales in Ouray County last year. It seems that smart investors with cash reserves are taking advantage of the cooling real estate market nationally. Total numbers of vacant land sales declined in Ouray County in 2007. Vacant land total dollar sales increased from 2006 to 2007.

The total number of real estate sales in the City of Ouray increased 40% over 2006. Dollar sales volume in Ouray increased as well. Ouray saw a 8.75% decrease in the median sales price for the year.

The Town of Ridgway has seen a steady decline in the single-family dollar sales growth rate since 2004. Median sales prices however increased in the town of Ridgway.

Ouray Colorado Real Estate Report

The Ouray County Real Estate Market continues to impress the skeptics. Third Quarter Single family residential sales increased 13.3% over the same period in 2006. The City of Ouray saw an increase in sales numbers of 40% while the unincorporated area of the County experienced an increase in sales of 46.7% over the same period in 2006.

Single family dollar sales rebounded in the County overall through the 3rd quarter of 2007. The City of Ouray (20.4%) and unincorporated Ouray County (54.5%) both saw positive numbers during the 3rd quarter. The Town of Ridgway was the only sector with a decline which came in at 44.5%. In looking back over the data from 2006, the decline in Ridgway 2007 over the same period in 2006, may be attributed to the fact that the affordable housing sales were ticking along very strongly last year at this time in Ridgway. With most of those units sold, the market most likely is coming back to the norm.

For all your Ouray, Ridgway and Ouray County Real Estate needs please call Erin Eddy at 970-318-1376 or visit my website at www.ourayland.com. Sold on the Southwest since 1986

All information in this blog was provided by Lynn Vogel of Comparable Sales Research.