Ouray Colorado Ice Park

CLIMBER READY – Cold and dry weather has made for ideal ice making conditions at the Ouray Ice Park, which plans to open on Saturday, Dec. 12 at 7 a.m. Sharpen those axes and crampons. It’s finally time to climb. (Photo courtesy of Mike Bryson)
slideshow OURAY – With prevailing frigid temperatures and the hard work of ice-making crews, the Ouray Ice Park already has terrific ice for climbing. They are opening for the season this Saturday, Dec. 12 at 7 a.m. – a week earlier than its scheduled opening date.

“So far it has been a banner year as far as making ice goes,” said head ice maker Mike Bryson this week. A cold start to the season and a lack of snowfall are the perfect conditions for creating a good base of ice. “Relatively speaking, it is going to be a year of much more ice than usual.”

Ice Park crews are currently working on upgrading the water delivery system from a four-inch to a six-inch pipe and they are utilizing the former BIOTA water line. This will allow the park to be run on two separate water systems rather than one. Moreover, this year crews will be making ice seven instead of five days a week, as in the past. Bryson said that once the upgraded water delivery system is finished, the ice park may prove to have the best ice climbing conditions yet.

“The new system will enable us to run water with more pressure, which basically means more ice,” Bryson said. “The park will be in the best shape it has ever been in due to the fact we will be able to create more ice.”

Bryson said the park will be opening this weekend but warned that early-season conditions will exist with some thin ice in some areas. He added that some areas of the park may not open this weekend depending on conditions. Crews will make that determination on Friday.

Looking ahead, the 15th annual Ouray Ice Festival and Climbing Competition will be held Jan. 7-10. Great slideshows by Andres Marin, Caroline George, Steve House, Majka Burhardt, Timmy Oneill, and Dave Nettle are planned. There will also be a premier screening of the movie The North Face – a film that re-creates the first ascent attempt on the Eiger.

This year’s Ice Festival will host over 70-plus interactive climbing clinics, including 12 extended-length climbing seminars of six hours each. Nightly slideshows will feature outstanding world-class mountaineers and climbers. Make sure to attend the Petzl/Arcteryx Superhero Party on Saturday, Jan. 9, following a live auction at the Ouray Community Center. The party is always full of surprises and interesting costume, to say the least. All the great evening auctions, parties, fundraisers and meals make the Ouray Ice Festival the premier climber gathering in the world.

Season memberships to the Ouray Ice Park cost $40. Membership fees help keep the Ice Park a free climbing facility and pay for park improvements; those with membership cards receive a 20 percent discount at most member lodges in Ouray as well as a 10-20 percent discount at Ouray’s restaurants and participating retail stores.

For more information about the Ouray Ice Park call 970/325-4288 or visit www.ourayicepark.com.

Posted by Erin Eddy
Written by The Ouray County Watch

Golf course purchased near Ouray Colorado

Equilibrium Resorts has bought the Divide Ranch & Club golf course facility on Log Hill Mesa.

The lifestyle resort communities company, based in Dillon, announced in a press release last week that it has moved from management to an ownership position by acquiring all the assets to the golf course.
Seller Gary Tharaldson retains ownership in the real estate inventory of the subdivision, which originated in 1994 as Fairway Pines, as Ouray County’s first recreational planned unit development. The PUD allowed developers to create and sell more than 400 lots smaller than six acres around a golf course on Log Hill Mesa.
H.T. Heritage Inn of Erie LLC, a Philadelphia-based corporation led by Tharaldson, bought the Fairway Pines project in June 2006 for a reported $15 million from Fairway Pines Golf Partners Ltd., Pines Development Group LLC, James A. Willey, and the James A. Willey Living Trust.
The project was re-named Divide Ranch & Club in 2007 and a new clubhouse overlooking the golf course, primarily for use by residents of the development, opened in 2008.
Paul Stashick, founder and CEO of Equilibrium Resorts, said the solid membership base, minimal debt on the property and the opportunity to leverage Equilibrium Resorts’ years of experience in the resort business made the purchase a good fit for the company.
“We look forward to continuing to enhance programming at the Divide Ranch & Club and making it the premier club in the southwestern Colorado,” said Stashick. “The focus of these programs are the cornerstones of our company’s vision: lifelong learning, self-actualization, wellness and relationships.”
Equilibrium also announced that the Divide Ranch & Club will be offering an Invitational Gold Membership for a limited time, which includes unlimited golf privileges, fly fishing, Nordic skiing and snowshoeing, 4x4 excursions, guided hikes and cooking classes with clubhouse chef Steve Poland. The membership includes all fees associated with golf cart rental, range balls and discounts at the pro shop.
The 18-hole golf course, which opened to the public in 1993, has a championship rating and received the “Best Places to Play” award numerous times from Golf Digest magazine.
— Special to The Ridgway Sun

Ouray Best Place to Recreate

OURAY – Last week, Ouray was named “Best Destination for Recreation in Colorado” for 2009 by the popular online site, The Official Best Of (www.officialbestof.com).

Ouray will be listed on the website and will be featured on the television program The Best of Colorado, which will air Oct. 24 at 12 p.m. on KCNC (CBS 4) in Denver.

Official Best of solicits nominations for award winners on its website, which is intended to provide TV and web viewers with the official best places to visit in a number of states across America.

Ouray Chamber Resort Association President Karen Avery said it’s been quite the month for Ouray. She notes that the “Best Of” designation comes on the heels of Ouray being named one of the most beautiful towns and villages in the southwest by a book of the same title.

“The Switzerland of America is the perfect escape from the everyday,” said Avery. “Jeeping, hiking, horseback riding and biking are popular summertime activities. The Ouray Ice Park – the first of its kind dedicated solely to the sport of ice climbing – is a huge draw in the wintertime. We host hundreds of the world’s best climbers every January for the infamous Ouray Ice Festival. It’s really quite something.”

Avery noted that there are plenty of cold weather activities for the average Joe, as well. Snowshoeing, cross-country skiing and sledding are popular options, as well as the Ouray Hot Springs Pool, which is open year round.

Ouray County Watch Staff

Ouray Trail Run Fires Up

OURAY – Challenge yourself to a 13.9-mile loop run and contribute to regional youth outdoor education programs this weekend. The second annual Ouray Trail Run takes place Saturday, Oct. 3 on the trails above Ouray, but it’s not your average jog in the park.

Comparable in difficulty to the Imogene Pass Run between Ouray and Telluride, the Ouray Trail Run circumnavigates the City of Ouray using the Silvershield, Ice Park and Portland trails. With the unsurpassed views of Ouray and the surrounding fall foliage, this year’s run will no doubt prove to be one of Colorado’s most beautiful fall events.

“The course is unbelievably beautiful,” race Director Erin Eddy said in an interview on Tuesday. “This has to be one of the most scenic runs in the state because of its timing. The course is just awesome and it is a great race.”

Participants are reminded that the course follows steep and rugged, single-track trails in the high altitude terrain, with a base elevation of 7,700 feet. The course gains over 3,600 vertical feet and includes many steep and loose sections. Another factor participants should keep in mind is the unpredictable fall weather of the San Juan Mountains, which can range from mild and sunny to cold and snowy in a matter of minutes. Ultimately, runners are responsible for their own safety and are expected to use good judgment with regards to their ability to complete the race.

The course will be marked with flagging, cones and signs, and a number of volunteer course marshals will be strategically located to keep runners headed in the right direction.

Eddy said that last year’s inaugural event raised approximately $2,000 for local outdoor education programs, including the San Juan Riding Program, the Ouray Cross County Team, and the Ridgway and Ouray schools’ outdoor education programs. He hopes to raise even more for those programs this year.

“This race is all about getting kids outdoors,” Eddy said.

The $50 race entry fee includes an official race T-shirt, aid-station refreshments, and a post-race barbecue. Prizes, custom made by Ouray glassblower Sam Rushing, will be awarded for overall male and female winners as well as male and female age group winners. Door prizes at the post-race awards ceremony will include Osprey packs, arm warmers, socks and shirts from Sugoi, a sport band for an iPod, and gaiters by JoeTrailMan. Race participants will automatically be entered to win prizes, but they must be present at the ceremony to win.

Race registration will occur on Friday at the Ouray Hot Springs Pool between 5 and 7 p.m., or on race day, between 8 and 9:30 a.m. The race starts and ends at the pool, and has a 10 a.m. start time.

Stick around town after the race for some much-deserved relaxation and revelry at the Ouray Oktoberfest and 45th Annual Jeep Raffle. Popular Bavarian band, The Austrian Connection, will perform, and there will be kids’ activities and costume contests with cash prizes. Traditional German food such as brats, potato cakes, apple sauce and German chocolate cake are on the menu, as well as Colorado Boy brews and wine. Call the Ouray Chamber for additional information at 800/228-1876.

The Ouray Trail Run is a 501(c)4 corporation and all race proceeds go directly to local outdoor youth recreational programs and local youth recreational clubs. For more information, go to www.ouraytrailrun.com.

Ouray's Hydro Plant Bids Farewell to Dick Fowler

By Samantha Tisdel Wright

Richard Ezra Fowler, aka “Mr. Dick,” was an iconic Ouray character, spanning the old and the new as effortlessly as he spun tales from his stool of honor at the Buen Tiempo. The former operator of Ouray’s historic hydro plant passed away last week. He was 67.
As this paper reaches readers’ hands, Fowler’s memorial service at the Ouray Ice Park will have taken place – it was set for Thursday evening. And surely many a margarita will have been lifted afterward in his honor at the Buen, where his barstool has been temporarily retired. And just as surely, many a “Mr. Dick” story will have been told.
How Fowler ended up in Ouray in the early 1990s is a story worth telling in itself, and is best done so by Fowler’s former employer and good friend Eric Jacobsen, owner of the Ouray Hydro Plant.
“Dick and I go back to the late ’80s when he had a Jeep repair garage in Grand Junction,” recalled Jacobsen, who also owns the famous Bridal Veil hydroelectric plant near Telluride, accessed via Imogene Pass. “We used old Jeeps for doing all the work (at the Bridal Veil plant),” Jacobsen said. “Dick had a little shop with a wood stove. We’d drag our Jeeps in, in the fall, and he’d spend the winter fixing them for us.”
At that time, Jacobsen was in the process of getting his bid together to buy the Ouray Hydro Plant from Colorado Ute, a regional utility which eventually went bankrupt. He got the plant for $10 because he was the only pre-qualified bidder. But that’s another story.
Over that winter, Fowler got word of Jacobsen’s new acquisition. “He showed up with his toolbox in hand and said he’d decided he wanted to be a hydro plant operator,” Jacobsen laughed. “He said he’d sure be glad if I hired him, but if I didn’t, he’d work for free.”
Fowler was hired, and moved right in. “He’s basically lived there ever since and has been very intimately involved in every aspect of the operation,” Jacobsen said.
Fowler came by his technical know-how by way of two hitches served in the U.S. Army, starting when he was only 18. He was stationed on the border of East and West Germany, where during formative years, he was in charge of a big truck maintenance garage.
The experience shaped the way he saw the world and lived his life. “He always had a very military viewpoint toward his work at the hydro plant,” Jacobsen said. “His idea was to keep the lieutenant happy but kick him out the door as soon as you can. I was always the lieutenant … Dick was the master surgeon.”
Fowler applied his military mentality to his hydro plant employees, too, including his right hand man, and in Jacobsen’s words “heavy lifter” of many years, Jimmy Pew. “Jimmy, unfortunately, was the private,” Jacobsen joked. “Either they loved Dick or they hated Dick, but he used his military structure on those guys; that’s how Dick ran the power plant.”
Jacobsen was happy to leave the running of the plant largely in Fowler’s hands, and like a good lieutenant, gave him plenty of space to do just that. ”I literally had not been in his apartment since he moved up there in 1992,” he said. “That was Dick’s world.”
Fowler retired from his position at the hydro plant about 18 months ago. New operator Chris Babbins now keeps things the old thing spinning. But it wasn’t long after Fowler stepped down from his operator position that he found his way back, this time as caretaker, doing maintenance work on an hourly basis.
“I think Dick frankly got tired of being retired,” Jacobsen chuckled.
Fowler’s boots at the plant will be hard to fill. “He was totally into old equipment,“ Jacobsen said. “He had the perfect personality to keep the hydro plant running. Dick would complain loudly when we had occasion to upgrade old equipment. He liked mechanical things and was very suspicious of anything electronic.”
Now, as for Fowler’s famous story-telling ability… “He had all sorts of funny stories,” Jacobsen said. “He had a way of making anything sound funny. It’s hard to do that.”
But interestingly, Fowler talked very rarely about his family.
“Funny stories and mishaps with machinery were more Dick’s thing,” Jacobsen said. “He was a good storyteller, so you didn’t mind if he’d recycle a story every few months. There’s all sorts of funny stories Dick had about daily life, and he never was the hero in any of them. His stories were always very complimentary of some other person for having patience and humility; listening to him was kind of like having zen lessons. He was very self-effacing. He just loved Ouray and the people here.”
And not surprisingly, Fowler had a knack for tapping into what makes the town tick. In addition to his work at the hydro plant and his estimable position at the Buen Tiempo, he was also a “de facto” member of the Ouray Mountain Rescue Team. To this group, Fowler’s snow-cat maintaining skills proved invaluable.
“He hung out with the young rock climber group and took the Ice Park very seriously,” Jacobsen said, adding that Fowler helped build the very first catwalk at the Ice Park in the early 1990s. “He had really, really good friends in Ouray – young, old and everywhere in between. He was a very happy, warm Ouray character.”
Fowler was born on a farm in Salida, the town where his mother and sister still live. He is also survived by a brother in Loveland, and his companion of many years, Mary White, who resides in Fruita. (White has bequeathed Fowler’s beloved old Jeep to Jacobsen.)
Prior to his stint as a mechanic in Grand Junction and his long-term gig in Ouray, Jacobsen said that Fowler worked in construction and as a truck driver.
“I think he always wandered a little bit until he found his way to Ouray,” Jacobson speculated. “Once he found the hydro plant, I think that that’s what he considered he wanted to do for the rest of his life.”

Ouray Bypass in works

OURAY — Ouray County is seeking nearly $16 million in federal stimulus funds to reconstruct and pave County Road 1 over Log Hill Mesa and connecting roads to Highway 62 west of Ridgway.

The Board of County Commis-sioners on Monday approved the final version of a Tiger Grant application, made available through the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act, following its review during a special meeting on Sept. 8. The grant application was due Sept. 15.
The proposed 15-mile project would upgrade County Roads 1 from Colona over Log Hill Mesa and CR24 and CR 24-D through the east end of Pleasant Valley. County commissioners conceded after last week’s review that the project could make the route a bypass of Ridgway by funneling traffic off Highways 550 and 62.
“This will be a more efficient bypass road," said Commissioner Keith Meinert last week. But, Meinert noted, issues of speed limits, signage, weight limits and traffic enforcement need to be addressed. “I may lean toward favoring it when these questions are answered. People will need to know what the implications are.”
BOCC Chairman Heidi Albritton said last week that the BOCC will fully field public comment to see if county residents “have the political will” for the project, should funding be obtained.
On Monday, Albritton complimented county staff, in particular Administrator Connie Hunt, for putting the grant application together so quickly and so professionally. Albritton said she knows the project may stir controversy.
“But I feel as elected officials it’s important for us to examine all options that will help the community,” said Albritton.
Meinert echoed Albritton’s comments. “I want to assure the public that it can air any concerns,” said Meinert. “We will hold a public forum … if we get this grant. We are not making a commitment today.”
The grant application cites a potential benefit of creating a more convenient and shorter route (by nearly four miles) than the 19-plus miles on the Highway 550 and Highway 62 corridor through Ouray County.
Other benefits include improving safety for school buses and emergency response vehicles, winter travel and by reducing the number of vehicles that use Highway 62 through Ridgway for commuter or delivery travel between Montrose and Telluride; reducing dependence on oil and gas by providing an alternate route that is about 20% shorter; and enhancing air quality by reducing vehicle emissions and particulate matter from (gravel road) dust and the road-surface placement of sand during winter.
“It was a huge project pulling this together,” said Albritton. “It (the application packet) is really well thought out and pulls the picture together. We have a lot of good information to share at a public forum.”
A complete digital copy of the grant application is available at the Ouray County website: www.ouraycountyco.gov/

— By Patrick Davarn, news editor

Ouray Water and Real Estate

Written by: Allan Best - Ouray County Watch
Posted by: Erin Eddy

www.ridgwayland.com
www.ourayland.com

With demographers forecasting 35 percent more people in Colorado by 2035 and climate scientists predicting 15 percent less water available in the Colorado River Basin by mid-century, something has to give.

More and more, public officials, business groups and environmental organizations have been talking about additional dams and reservoirs to augment those built in the mid-20th century.

“The water inheritance is running out,” said Josh Penry, the minority leader in the Colorado Senate, in a speech at the summer meeting of the Colorado Water Congress, a consortium of water providers. “Colorado needs to embark on a new round” of storage construction.

“We study too much. We analyze too much,” added Penry, who is from Grand Junction and a candidate for the Republican nomination for governor.

Representatives of environmental groups concede the need for additional storage but also call for restraint.

“There are projects that have significant adverse environmental impact that we could not support,” said Melinda Kassen, managing director of the Western Water Project for Trout Unlimited. “And there are projects that have substantially fewer environmental impacts that we can support,” she said, if mitigation measures are included.

Hovering over these conversations is the ghost of Wayne Aspinall. A onetime schoolteacher and lawyer from the fruit orchards of Palisade, Aspinall possessed neither good looks nor a good speaking voice. He did have a solid command of legislative techniques, however, and an ardent belief in the need to harness and regulate the rivers of the Rockies.

Serving in the U.S. House of Representatives from 1949 to 1973, Aspinall helped obtain authorization and federal funding for a series of major dams in the upper Colorado River Basin. Utah’s Lake Powell was the most massive, but a trio of reservoirs on the Gunnison River also resulted from his legislative perseverance. Today, they are collectively designed as the Aspinall Unit.

Growing populations

But if Westerners saw the yoking of rivers into submission as the major task of the mid-20th century, today a more nuanced challenge exists. The limits of abundance have become more apparent.

Most, if not all, of the best dam sites have been taken. Few reliable water supplies remain unclaimed, and those that are unclaimed, such as on the Yampa River of northwestern Colorado, are far from population centers.

Coloradans in the future, as is already the case, can be expected to congregate along the urbanized Front Range corridor. More than three-quarters of the state’s residents currently live in a narrow swath less than 200 miles long. The State Demography Office projects that the population, now at 5 million, by 2035 will nudge 7.8 million – an increase roughly the existing size of metropolitan Denver-Boulder.

Even more staggering population growth has been projected by 2035 for what is called the Colorado River system, an area that includes Denver, Salt Lake City and Los Angeles. The existing population of 24 to 30 million people will have grown by another 12 to 15 million. Imagine Las Vegas 11 times over.

In contrast to this uphill population climb, climate scientists see a downward slope for water. Temperature is the major driver.

Computerized simulations differ substantially as to whether precipitation will increase or decrease. Further, existing precipitation patterns could change, as increased planetary heat alters flow of the jet stream. In other words, changes in Vail and Telluride might not be uniform.

There’s more certainty about increased heat. Rising temperatures will produce shorter winters, more evaporation and transpiration, and a substantial reduction of total flows in the Colorado River. Scientists in the last two years have settled on a 15 percent reduction as a central figure.

“We are expecting a 39 percent increase in population and, if you want an average, a 15 percent reduction in supplies,” said Taylor Hawes, of The Nature Conservancy, describing the seven-state Colorado River Basin.

“By most standards, that’s a crisis.”

Managing uncertainty

Further confusing water planning is the prospect of drought. Colorado had several significant droughts in the 20th century, but all are overshadowed the mega-droughts of the distant past. Study of tree rings across the Southwest conducted by Connie Woodhouse of Arizona State University and other dendrochronologists shows clear evidence of extended drought periods, from roughly 1,000 years ago, that lasted up to three decades.

The parched summer of 2002, a time of roaring wildfires near Denver, Durango and Glenwood Springs, caught water managers by surprise. Levels in Lake Powell dropped precipitously in 2003, and by late 2004 had left bathtub rings two-thirds below the high-water mark. Many wondered if the reservoir might actually drop to a dead pool, unable to generate any electricity.

Along Colorado’s Front Range, the situation looked equally bleak. Had it not been for a miraculously wet and heavy snowstorm in March 2003, cities and farmers might have faced another withering summer, hot and dry.

Water managers broadly embrace the theory of human-caused global warming. Their meetings for the last several years have focused on the sharp warnings coming from climate scientists.

“The science is all basically painting in the same direction,” says Eric Kuhn, general manager of the Colorado River Water Conservation District.

But if the all signs point toward hotter and drier, great uncertainty remains. Faced with that uncertain hydrological future, Marc Waage, manager of water resources planning for Denver Water, says he has been “scratching my head for the last two years” about how to create a long-range water plan.

Before, water planning was a lot easier. There was always population growth, of course, but planners assumed a worst-case scenario that resembled a previous drought. Colorado’s documented worst drought came in the mid-1950s – about the time that Wayne Aspinall was proposing to dam the Gunnison, San Juan, and Green rivers.

Now, water planners realize much more serious droughts are possible and that even the average amounts of water will be less. Runoff will occur weeks and perhaps months earlier, leading to much longer, hotter and drier summers. Combined with population growth, all this suggests that the existing water infrastructure may be inadequate.

The elephant of Colorado

Colorado’s big question mark remains the urban Front Range corridor, especially Denver’s southern suburbs that overwhelmingly rely upon underground water that has become steadily more difficult to extract.

Prairie Waters Project, a major new diversion project to be completed in 2011, will draw water from the South Platte near Brighton several dozen miles south for use in Aurora, located on the eastern flanks of Denver. Short as the pipeline is, this project is expected to cost nearly $700 million.

Far more ambitious projects have been conceived. The most spectacular, proposed by former Montrose farmer Aaron Million, would draw water from the Green River near Rock Springs, Wyo., piping it along Interstate 80 and then down to the Front Range.

More recently, a rival plan employing the same idea has begun to emerge from a consortium of water providers in Denver’s southern suburbs.

Another so-called big straw would draw water from the Yampa River west of Craig. That idea comes from the Northern Colorado Water Conservancy District, the agency responsible for the Colorado Big Thompson project. The project, which takes water from Grand Lake to Estes Park, was described by Telluride native and historian David Lavender as a “massive violation of geography.”

These big straws have mostly been painted as saviors of agriculture. The thinking is that without further Western Slope diversions, the cities will end up buying farms for water.

But does the water exist?

Whether Colorado actually has sufficient water under the treaty apportioning the Colorado River Compact is open for debate. Kuhn, for example, has long suggested that Colorado has no more than a few hundred-thousand acre-feet of unallocated water. A study to be completed later this year by the Colorado River Water Board will, it is hoped, answer with greater certainty just how close Colorado is to the last drop.

Another set of studies will attempt to push the science of climate change even more rigorously. Tapping the expertise of scientists assembled in the federal laboratories at Boulder, these studies, it is hoped, will provide a better idea of how much water may exist in a hotter and drier future.

The focus naturally is on the Western Slope, where three-quarters of Colorado’s water originates, mostly in the form of snow. The studies will also attempt to predict how much precipitation regimes will change between basins – the San Juan, for example, as distinct from the Eagle.

While this gets sorted out, parallel roundtable discussions have been occurring regarding the state’s major river basins. The intent of these roundtables is to reach some larger consensus about water allocations, perhaps similar to the compacts that govern the Colorado River now.

Friction

If the roundtables have improved dialogue, tempers have occasionally flared. Disagreement was evident in one exchange at last month’s meeting of the Colorado Water Congress. Pitkin County Commissioner Rachael Richards complained that Western Slope water had not been given its due in generating revenue in Colorado’s second largest economic, tourism and recreation.

She got pushback from Rodney Kuharich, director South Metro Water Supply Authority. Aspen, he observed, seemed to have done quite well despite the diversion of waters from the Roaring Fork River and its tributaries that began decades ago. Resorts on the Western Slope, he said, have benefited handsomely from customers drawn from along the Front Range.

As for additional storage, future reservoirs will likely be smaller but perhaps at higher-elevation locations, to minimize evaporation. But whereas the reservoirs of Aspinall’s day were all about commerce, today they will be judged against a greater matrix of considerations.

The Nature Conservancy’s Hawes said her group believes that decisions about storage should be guided by multiple uses, “so that the environmental is part of the planning and not an afterthought.”

Historic Ouray Real Estate

Written by the Ouray County Watch

Sep 03, 2009 | 90 views | 0 | 1 | |

The Tanner/Viets house, built in 1901 in the Dutch Colonial Revival style, was owned by Frank and Ida Tanner. Frank was Mayor of Ouray from 1905-1907 and was director of the Bank of Ouray. This and other historic buildings are featured in the Ouray County Historical Museum’s newest exhibit: “Ouray’s Historic Homes,” on display now through Nov. 21 during regular museum hours. (Photo by Doris Gregory)
slideshow OURAY – The Ouray County Historical Museum’s newest exhibit originated as one of the OCHS Evening of History programs put together by Ouray resident Carolyne Kelly earlier this summer. Kelly’s program, “Ouray’s Historic Homes” received such an enthusiastic response that museum curator, Don Paulson, decided to wrap up the summer season with a special exhibit based on her presentation.

The exhibit features 12 homes built between 1877 and 1902 that represent several architectural styles: Pioneer Log, Folk Victorian, Late Victorian, Victorian/Italianate, Victorian/Queen Anne, Edwardian or Dutch Colonial.

“No one architectural style exists in Ouray,” explained Kelly. “Most of the homes in the Ouray National Historic District were built between 1876 and 1915, during the heyday of mining. These buildings are heavily influenced by architecture of the Victorian era which generally overlapped with Queen Victoria’s reign from 1837–1901.”

According to Kelly, the 12 homes selected for the focus of the exhibit were chosen for specific reasons: Kelly wanted to display a representative sampling of architectural styles, and some of the houses’ owners had interesting backgrounds and interconnected family histories.

The quality of available old photographs and the consideration of available exhibit space also dictated her selection.

The “Ouray’s Historic Homes” exhibit is located on the second floor of the Ouray County Historical Museum, which is housed in a beautiful 122-year-old stone building at the top of 6th Avenue in Ouray. The exhibit will run through Nov. 21. Museum hours are Monday through Saturday, 10 a.m.- 4:30 p.m. and Sunday, noon-4:30 p.m. Call the museum at 325-4576 for more information, or go online to ouraycountyhistoricalsociety.org.

New Ouray Real Estate Development

RiverSage the ‘Proper’ Way to Develop Land

by Gus JarvisAug 20, 2009

Posted by: Erin Eddy

www.ridgwayland.com

LAY OF THE LAND – Lot 3 in the first phase of the RiverSage sits next to cottonwoods that line the Uncompahgre River. It also has magnificent views of the Sneffels and Cimarron mountain ranges. (Photos by Gus Jarvis)
slideshow

slideshow Phase One Lots Now Available

RIDGWAY – Six years since the inception of the RiverSage subdivision, two miles north of Ridgway near the banks of the Uncompahgre River, seven two-acre home sites are now available for purchase. The sites represent the first phase of the development and provide future residents clear views of the Sneffels and Cimarron mountain ranges as well as access to over 100 acres of surrounding open space and the adjacent 60-acre Dennis Weaver Memorial Park.

The project’s developer Rick Weaver, who has been busy overseeing road paving at the subdivision, said that the process to create and annex the subdivision with the Town of Ridgway was a lengthy, but ultimately is a “win-win” development for potential lot owners as well as the those who will enjoy the 60-acre park. The development also encompasses the philosophy of Weaver’s late father, actor and environmentalist Dennis Weaver.

“We really wanted to preserve the river corridor, wetlands and wildlife habitat,” Weaver said in an interview last week. “We tried to keep his vision in approaching this project. The only way we could do this is donate land and develop just enough lots to make it financially feasible. The town got a 60-acre park and we got the lots we needed. Everybody wins with this project.”

Lots in the first phase of the subdivision are priced to sell from $289,000. With its location on the outskirts of Ridgway and within one hour’s drive of Telluride, the subdivision is perfect for those who want to be surrounded by San Juan Mountain beauty but not too far from the conveniences of town.

“What is really great about it is you get a rural country, private feel but you are only four minutes from town,” Weaver said. “You are also only four minutes from town if you want to ride your bike on the path. People can even go down to the [Ridgway] State Park without even getting into a car.”

The entire RiverSage subdivision is broken up into three phases and will, when it is complete, have just 20 lots on 115 acres of land.

“There is a lot of open space out there and a lot of great mountain views with no homes in front of another,” Weaver said.

In keeping with his father’s vision, Weaver said the subdivision will be environmentally sensitive and wildlife friendly. Guidelines in place ensure that each home is not only elegantly designed but energy efficient and economical.

“One of the things that we are excited to do is have a green development,” he said. “We have instituted voluntary green building codes that are based loosely on codes that are in effect in Telluride and in Gunnison. Most of it involves good building practices. We felt it is a worthwhile thing to do and we are proud of the fact we have taken those voluntary steps. I think it is absolutely necessary to worry about conservation.”

RiverSage is ideal for those who regularly get outside for recreation and exercise. For mountain bikers, the Eagle Hill loop is adjacent to the development, and for the angler, the fly-fishing on the nearby Uncompahgre River is “great,” according to Weaver.

“We have had a lot of compliments on the [Dennis Weaver Memorial] Park and its trail system,” he said. “This project is all about preserving the river corridor and open space while having a limited density and limited visual impact project that includes green building. It is something that is conscious of our environmental needs as well as conservation needs and we think it is the proper way to develop a piece of land.”

Ouray Real Estate and Land Use Issues

Commissioners to Address Mining Claim Issues With Current Regulations

by Gus Jarvis Aug 13, 2009

Posted by Erin Eddy - www.ourayland.com and www.ridgwayland.com

OURAY – Instead of drafting an entire new section to the county’s Land Use Code to regulate residential development on patented mining claims, the Ouray Board of County Commissioners on Monday generally agreed that they would schedule series of work sessions that would be dedicated to specific concerns surrounding residential development on mining claims in hopes of better enforcing or tweaking existing codes.

Monday’s discussion was the first opportunity for the commissioners to formally discuss what they had heard at a July 27 forum held to discuss possible new regulations on the development of mining claims, attended by close to 200 county residents. It was apparent at the meeting that the community is sharply divided over the need for regulating residential development on mining claims.

While County Commissioner Keith Meinert said he thought that he and his fellow commissioners had clearly defined their concerns and objectives when they first started the process of drafting new regulations, he agreed that the commissioners should specifically outline why they are concerned about residential development on mining claims.

“I think the objectives and concerns still exist,” Meinert said. “I want to continue to pursue this to achieve clear cut objectives and address clear cut concerns and maybe we need to spend some time enumerating exactly what those concerns and objectives are.”

Meinert continued by saying that there is a possibility of addressing those concerns with existing site development permit regulations and visual impact regulations.

“The possibility of achieving those objectives and concerns by better enforcement and better tweaking of existing regulations is something we need to explore rather than the new section of code, which we had thrown out as a discussion vehicle for the planning commission.”

The commissioners set up a list of “bite sized” concerns that need to be addressed in future work sessions. First, they agreed to work with County Assessor Susie Mayfield to address the value that mining claims are assessed. Currently mining claims are generally valued by the assessor at $1,000 per acre, rather than the value assigned to other categories of vacant land in the county. “One issue that, to me, stood out is this taxation issue,” Commissioner Heidi Albritton said. “The valuation of mining clams is a touchy topic and a bit of a Pandora’s box. We need to have a discussion on how to deal with that.” Albritton added that she understood that it would be an expensive and lengthy process to reassess each mining claim.

Commissioner Lynn Padgett suggested that the first step the county could take is a mass appraisal system of mining clams and that the county look to the U.S. Forest Service as a partner in coming up with a means to survey the mining claims so the county can have “an accurate picture of where the parcels are.”

Albritton cautioned her fellow commissioners that if the valuations of those properties were to be changed, the board would first need to be completely educated on how the change would affect property owners.

“We also need to be cognizant of the impact to those people who have owned those properties and don’t plan to build on them,” Albritton said. “I don’t think we have a choice in the matter but there are going to be ramifications and it will affect people in a significant way. It could be the difference of people hanging on to [a mining claim] or putting it on the market.”

The commissioners also said they still had not heard concerns from residents about the visual impacts of unregulated residential development on mining claims and agreed that the current visual impact regulations need to be addresses so they can be better enforced and possibly broadened to more areas. Meinert said their were “obvious shortcomings” with the visual impact code and that it is currently “unworkable and is unenforceable.

“It allows a kind of discretion by staff that puts staff in a difficult position,” Meinert said. “I think we need to put a lot more thought into the visual impact code.”

Albritton agreed by suggesting that the commissioners schedule “a decent amount of time to workshop our visual impact regulations. We all know there are issues with that section of code and then also have simultaneous discussions about expanding the visual impact corridors.”

Continuing on, the commissioners agreed that road grade issue needs to be addressed as well. Meinert suggested that there be, in the LUC, a variance process to allow for road grades above 12 percent.

“I think there needs to be a variance process and it needs to recognize that some need to be more than 12 percent,” Meinert said. “The other issue is the need for a permitting process before any blade is put to the earth. That would potentially address some of the issues in getting the right kind of engineering.”

He added that the “biggest stumbling block” to development in mining claims areas is they are up private roads.

“Our regulations were intended in keeping those primitive,” he said. “I am not trying to resolve the issue here but it is another area to be addressed.”

Along with that, Meinert said the commissioners need to look into whether or not the county will require owners who develop off primitive roads to sign a waiver that would take away the county’s liability in providing emergency services.

“Something that clearly forces them to recognize that what they are doing in that location may have consequences to them,” Meinert said. Padgett added that she is concerned with what responsibility the county has in taking care of wildfires around those mining claims.

The commissioners directed County Attorney Mary Deganhart to draft a resolution that would specifically outline what the commissioners intend to work on in upcoming work sessions. It was unclear at Monday’s meeting what role the Ouray County Planning Commission would play in each of the work sessions, but the commission would be invited to all of them.

Ouray Real Estate Land Use Issues

Split continues on mine claims regs

Written by: Patrick Davarn 07.AUG.09

Posted by: Erin Eddy - www.ourayland.com

Unscheduled discussion on the current hot-button topic of residential development on mining claims dominated an otherwise light agenda for the Board of County Commissioners.

Yet more discussion, albeit this time scheduled, takes place during a work session on Aug. 10 between the BOCC and the Ouray County Planning Commission (OCPC).

Last Monday, OCPC member Ken Lipton came before the BOCC during its informal Call to the Public to read a statement of timelines that included summaries of directives by the BOCC and meetings and work sessions since the process began in May 2008.

“The question as to whether or not a new section to the code should be written was already decided by the BOCC and earlier agreed to by the PC and this should not be negated by self-interested parties or ideology or fear of angering a portion of the community that holds unrealistic views on property rights or the county’s right to regulate land use,” said Lipton from a portion of his document.

According to a news report in the July 31 Plaindealer, nearly 200 citizens packed the county courthouse two days earlier to register their views on the issue of restrictions and regulations for residential development on mining claims. Opinions were as diverse as the backgrounds of those in attendance; some owned property in the area currently defined as the South Alpine Zone, some did not.

Commissioner Keith Meinert said at Monday’s meeting that a news report in last week’s Plaindealer needed clarification. County Attorney Mary Deganhart did not write or propose regulations for that zone. “We need to be careful in the way this is portrayed to the public,” said Meinert. “I want to dispel completely (any belief) that such work is driven by any individual on the staff. The county attorney is working at the instruction of the board.”

Meinert said he agreed with Lipton that there needs to be a better understanding between the BOCC and the Planning Commission.

BOCC Chairman Heidi Albritton said the county’s six-month moratorium on mining claims development was intended to allow time for discussion and consideration of specific regulations; but the timetable was not realistic. “We have a large demographic interested in the issue,” said Albritton. “If there are ways to work with them, we need to do that and get a consensus, understanding that we are not going to please everyone.”

Ridgway area resident Craig Fetterolf, who served on the county’s Study Group that earlier this year completed its report on two separate analysis on the affects of growth, asked why mining claims are not taxed the same as other buildable residential properties. “It’s unfair to the rest of us who are paying our taxes,” he said.

Meinert said mining claims are being assessed at the proper rate of 29%; there is no special treatment by the Assessor’s Office. Commissioner Lynn Padgett explained that the difference is the land’s valuation. Padgett said the state requires the county to assess all property at market value, but there is simply not enough data on local sales.

Padgett added that while a higher assessment of market value may add to property tax revenues, it may also harm opportunities for the public, such as the Red Mountain Project or the Trust for Public Land, to obtain mining claims. A higher valuation will mean a higher price.

Ouray Land Use

Four groups have stake in high-country issues

Posted by Erin Eddy: www.ourayland.com

Having attended the BOCC meeting regarding the Alpine Zone Regulations a number of thoughts come to mind. First and most obviously, the Ouray BOCC is conscientiously performing its duty to the citizens of Ouray County by gathering public thoughts on a difficult and sensitive issue. The issue being one of private property rights versus maintenance of the status quo in regards to potential Alpine Zone development via the mechanics of the “1872 Mining Law.”

First, it must be said that an increase in the potentiality of the regulatory process is a direct result to an increase in population pressure. No matter what the inherent political persuasion of the individuals involved, these conflicts will occur as finite resources, whatever their stripe or color, become contested. The finite resource here is the wildness and beauty of nature.

If this issue were the relatively simple issue of mining and environmental concerns it would be easy for me to come to a conclusion. I agree whole heartedly with underground, hard-rock mining in Ouray County. The environmental concerns due to mining would be dealt with in a responsible 21st-century manner to protect the quality of our exceptional environment and we would start drilling and shooting, period. End of story. As I said at the meeting, I hard-rocked from ’71 to ’79. I’m pro-mining. In my world, mineral and metals are as necessary as sunshine and clean air.

If one’s head is out of the sand today, all it should take is a cursory look at the nation and the world at large to realize that Ouray County would do well to get back into the business of hard-rock mining. That being said, do not misconstrue my words as license to trash our environment. (Also, period. End of story.)

However, the meeting on Monday evening was not of a topic so easily dealt with, so easily worked through. While the topic at hand is a direct corollary of the “1872 Mining Law” it is more complex with several permutations. Listening to the 50 or so speakers, I identified four separate groups utilizing four distinct platforms for projecting their points of view. They are:

1. Environmentalists: Their desire is to maintain the status quo without disruption of the back-country reality such as it exists today.

2. “Old-Time” Ouray County patented mine owners: They are staunch on their use by right of private property as stipulated by the “1872 Mining Law.”

3. Patented claim owners from out of the area: Their interest lies in building their “dream second home” in the mountains. This could be a small, secluded low-impact cabin or a neon-pink trophy home perched out on a cliff for the whole world to see.

4. Land Speculators: The claims are strictly and specifically to be used as ‘spec’ real estate investments to the highest bidders regardless of the impact on the local community or environment. Do not be surprised to see leveraged land trades in this group. Threats to build mega-mansions “or else” will show up in this group. This is the trophy home contingent.

So what do we do? Protection of private property rights is essential to the American way of life. Protecting the magic of the environmental aesthetics for the alpine terrain of Ouray County is also essential to the citizens of Ouray County. It is also essential to those that come to Ouray County to visit here, to look at, and to travel in our mountains.

• Private property rights

“Life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness.” These are the words of Thomas Jefferson from our Declaration of Independence. It could be said that Jefferson “borrowed” or was inspired by similar words from John Locke: “Life, liberty or possessions.” (Chapter 11, “The Second Treatise Concerning Civil Government” from “The Extent of the Legislative Power,” 1690.)

It is thought that Jefferson originally penned “Life, liberty and property.” The right and concept of property as a “natural right” of “natural law” was so strong, so fundamental with the founders. However, “property” was changed to “pursuit of happiness” because the founders believed that slaves would be considered as “property” and so the founders purposefully changed “property” to “pursuit of happiness.” The cessation of the abomination of slavery by the founders was an ultimate goal and this explains the substitution of word usage found in the Declaration of Independence.

“First a right to life; secondly, to liberty; thirdly to property.” (“Natural Rights of the Colonists as Men” in “The Report of the Committees of Correspondence to the Boston Town Meeting,“ November 22, 1772, Sam Adams and Ben Franklin.)

The 5th Amendment to the U.S. Constitution reads: “...nor be deprived of life, liberty or property without due process of law.”

As we see from all of this, “private property” is a very big and serious issue in America. It goes deep into English and Celtic origins. Patented mining claims are private property not to be trifled with lightly.

• The Environmental Aesthetic

To conserve, to preserve, the natural beauty and wildness of Ouray County is a worthy goal. This is a respectful endeavor. The protection of the environment is a sacred duty, as is the protection of private property. I believe those duties are divinely inspired. The perpetuity of the appreciated environment is a belief already well established in Ouray County. It is decades and decades old. When the Europeans first arrived in what is now Ouray County, they “took” it away from those who were before. The land was “taken” at this time in an excellent condition. There has always been someone before; there will always be someone after. We haven’t had a monopoly on ownership of these mountains nor stewardship of them. I would venture that we hold these mountains in a trust for the future.

Once again, the questions come back to us, “What do we do? How do we continue to protect as well as to use the “Alpine Zone?” I have friends that own mining claims. I know that their intent is to respect that land, those mountains. They will build small, low-impact cabins on their patented claims. Some already have. Zoning regulations – legal, also – are an attempt to insure the expression of the will of the people in the use and protection of the land.

Regulations? More regulations? I agree with many at the meeting: we do have way too many! Those that know me know what I think about the barrage of regulations today. Large and potential future growth was alluded to by several people at the BOCC meeting. This is an absolute reality in Ouray County’s future. I do believe that it is with the utmost concern, wisdom and sincerity that all three of the County Commissioners are approaching this situation in the Alpine Zone.

As I said to the commissioners at the end of my two-minute comment period on Monday evening, “Do your job.” This was not said as a command. It was said as a re-enforcement to pursue the sacred duties, the sacred honor that the oath of your office requires and demands of you.

Joe Ryan owns and operates the San Juan Hut Systems out of Ridgway.

Ouray Foreclosures

Foreclosures up to 40

Written by: Christopher Pike 17.JUL.09
Posted by: Erin Eddy - www.ourayland.com

There are 40 properties in some stage of foreclosure so far in 2009, according to Jeannine Casolari, Ouray County public trustee.

In a report to the Board of County Commissioners, Casolari said on Monday that her office has been receiving from three to five new foreclosure notices each week.

"And there are several sales and several now continuing. There are four scheduled this week on Wednesday, but three may be continued. One will go through."

Casolari said that in a previous year there might be six foreclosure notices; in May alone there were seven foreclosures and six in June. She added that ten foreclosures have been carried over from 2008.

Despite this, actual sales are not commensurate with the number of filings.

"There have been no bids because everyone's bottom fishing and no bank will accept below the mortgage value," Casolari stressed to the commissioners. She said that a foreclosure is "not a fire sale."

"Once they get it on their books then that is when a fire sale takes place. I'm concerned because we've only seen the tip of the iceberg. I think people need to be look at at what might be poised to happen to property values."

Casolari added that nothing has sold yet because the owners haven't taken the lower value or the value of outstanding mortgage valance. This is telling us to be very aware of what is happening. Perception is not accurate. Foreclosures are not reflecting the true value of properties. "I'm very worried," Casolari said.

Citizens seek to acquire Ouray Real Estate

Summer folk step to plate in Wright project...Part-timers pitch in

Posted by Erin Eddy - www.ourayland.com and www.ridgwayland.com

Special to the Plaindealer - written by Ouray Plaindealer Staff

Second home owners and year round residents in Ouray County have a special opportunity this summer to join together on a major project now shifting into high gear - the Campaign to Save the Wright Opera House.

This ambitious fundraising effort is well-suited to involve summer and year-round residents alike, working together on a project that impacts the future economic infrastructure and lifestyle of the community, while preserving the history of the area.

The campaign's goal is to purchase and rehabilitate the Wright, create a county-wide arts center to serve the growing activity of the several arts organizations and eventually provide the premier small performance space in the region.

The Friends have completed the initial preparatory steps needed to assure that going forward to purchase the building is feasible, including an appraisal and an historic preservation structural engineering assessment with projections on needed repairs and equipment following the purchase of the building.

Grant applications are currently being written to several foundations which participate in capital purchases, including the Colorado Historic Society. Huesing estimated that in order to indicate solid community commitment to the foundations in question, about $200,000 will need to be raised or pledged locally by Sept. 1, for intended purchase in 2010. Currently over $80,000 has been raised in cash, pledges, and grants, some of which has been used to pay for the preparatory analyses. Phases of potential development, along with historic details, can be viewed at www.SaveTheWright.org.

Summer residents Kelvin and Becky Kent recently made a pledge to the project.

"Ouray's Wright Opera House is more than just a cultural icon and Victorian masterpiece," They said. "It's an important piece of our history, heritage and connection with the past. It needs to be saved for future generations and put to use as a venue for activities, entertainment and a vibrant Main Street storefront. We think it is right to support the ongoing efforts of the hard working Friends of the Wright Opera House to achieve their goal of securing this wonderful building for posterity."

From the business perspective, a pledge from Box Canyon Lodge owners Rich and Karen Avery noted, "We see the arts as the other bookend, with our fantastic recreation assets, to solidify the economy in Ouray County. An upgraded, fully functioning Opera House will provide the missing link in the spectrum of experiences we offer full-time residents, summer residents, and visitors. In our opinion, our investment in the effort of the Friends of the Wright Opera House is an investment in the future of our own business."

Summer resident Ralph Huesing chairs the Friends of the Wright Opera House, sharing his considerable experience with historic commercial buildings.

Another long-time summer resident, Duane Compton, is helping coordinate participation by other second home residents. Several other seasonal residents are participants in the volunteer corps forming to help with managing events and fund-raising activities. Huesing invites other second home owners to become involved in the project.

"Our current focus is to create awareness by all residents of the project and its potential," Huesing said. "We will provide personal tours of the facility for everyone, whether summer or year-round residents, to show the current status of the building and to further develop the vision and dynamics for best use into future years. We want everyone to enjoy the events currently planned. We need volunteers to help with planning the future implementation of the building to serve the broadest range of the population. And, we want those willing to help with the financial challenge to be well-informed about how their support in purchasing the building will affect the economic and cultural health of their community, as well as the major tax benefits associated with that support."

Several events and activities are planned to specifically bring the summer residents into the long term process to "Save the Wright.

Joyce Linn, chair of the Community Development Committee, has often addressed the need to involve summer residents in the community and its progress. She sees the Opera House project as a perfect vehicle for second home owners and year round residents to work together.

"Our summer home population is as big as our year-round population. That presence significantly adds to the vitality and the economy which we all value, but as a community we don't create adequate opportunities to actively encourage summer residents to feel involved and more fully participate, along with the year-round residents, in the overall progress of the community," she said. "We know that our summer residents bring with them great ideas and knowledge from their experiences elsewhere. The conceptualization and implementation of a project like this can benefit from the combined perspectives of the two components of our population. We hope that anyone who wants to be involved in any part of this project will contact us."

Huesing added his part-time residency perspective.

"The Friends of the Wright Opera House was formed to manage this initiative, and we welcome all residents to join us in accomplishing this major challenge. For second home owners, it is especially workable because we can have involvement year-round as we monitor progress and offer advice even when not in residence. And, of course, our financial support can substantially speed up the process, adding to the contributions of the year round population. It might even provide some bragging rights when returning to our winter residences as we share a bit about what we are helping to accomplish for our summer town. Our help and involvement to create a top-notch venue for a full menu of quality entertainment and arts education will be an added benefit to the community. We will share the pride in 'our Opera House'... restored and fully functioning."

Any category of residents wishing to sign up for a tour, attend events, participate in planning activities or the volunteer group, or obtain information regarding a donation or a pledge should call Huesing or Linn, or other board members Nancy Nixon, Dee Williams, or Jim Opdahl.

Ouray Real Estate Mining Claim Development

Posted by: Erin Eddy

www.ourayland.com
www.ridgwayland.com

Panel hears strong pros, cons on proposed Alpine Zone regs

New rules for building home on mining claim parcels in the Alpine Zone need more refinement, according to the county's Planning Commission (OCPC).

A draft of proposed changes to the Land Use Code (LUC) regarding residential development on mining claims and other parcels in the southern end of the county, including creation of a new South Alpine Zone, was tabled by the OCPC following a contentious public hearing on June 18.

Under consideration were modifications and additions to existing zoning regulations and boundaries.

But more than 50 people appeared at the public hearing and at least 22, many of whom own mining claims in the county, spoke in opposition to amending the LUC. Several claimed that language of the proposed regulations was overly broad, constitute an infringement on private property rights and is lacking in protection for miners. Several miners said that the entire document should be scrapped, arguing that their property values will decrease.

"Patented claims are private property. Every person has a right to do what he wants with this property. I don't agree with any of it; we have enough government already. The higher you go the worse it gets," said Ron Williams, who has worked with his son, Ron Jr., in the mining industry for several decades.

Several provisions in the draft document generated criticism from patented mining claim owners - who spoke in solidarity. The 12% maximum limit for the grade of the access road (even though the owner may seek a variance) is too restrictive and arbitrary; the limit of one-half acre for a building footprint should be expanded; the prohibition of construction of a new road or improvements to existing roads on the subject parcel (except where there is no existing access to that property) could impact those who wish to install roads for exploratory drilling; and the maximum, or base allowance, for a house being limited to 2,500 square feet of footprint for the total acreage.

The three principal partners of the Tisdel Law Firm in Ouray - Mike Hockersmith, Mark Howe and Andy Mueller - also were present at the hearing.

Hockersmith said the maximum limit of 7,500 square feet for a home where two or more parcels can be included in the calculation is "a huge issue that ought to be addressed."

Howe, who participated in the workshop discussions as an OCPC member, recused himself at the beginning of the June 18 public hearing due to any apparent conflict of interest. The firm represents some mining parcel owners.

Mueller argued that the regulations are) too cost prohibitive for an applicant. "The cost of studies, site plans and geotechnical prevents someone from being able to afford a house in that zone," he said.

Mueller also said that the standards in the document for items such as site plans, lack specificity and that staff in the county's Land Use Department office would be vested with "too much sole discretion" in their decision-making. He also expressed dismay that fencing restrictions were inappropriate for mining claim properties that have a home situated on it: "Now you're telling owners you can't fence your property. That's not okay."

Eight individuals, including Tammy Randall-Parker, Ouray District Ranger for the U.S. Forest Service, spoke in favor of the proposed mine land regulations. But some recommended that the regulations be made more clear and include other considerations. Randall-Parker suggested that the county add language to clarify snow maintenance; the USFS is in the process of developing regulations to require permits.

Howard Greene, a former OCPC member, said the current draft "neither prevents mining or home construction. In fact, (it is) more permissive than in other counties, allowing larger homes and easier variances. They are not a denial of rights and are not a taking."

A six-month moratorium set by the Board of County Commissioners on the construction of residences on mining claims in Ouray County expires July 26.
The BOCC did not take any action during its June 22 meeting to extend that deadline.

Following last week's hearing the OCPC scheduled another workshop on July 9 to discuss whether or not to rewrite portions of the document.
The OCPC wrote the draft proposals pursuant to a request from the BOCC. A total of six workshops were conducted, beginning 18 months ago.
The BOCC asked that the Planning Commission hold another public hearing regarding the proposals on July 21.

- Story by Christopher Pike, correspondent

Ouray Real Estate News

See Forever Village Takes New Tack in Marketing Resort Real Estate

by Greta Stetson Jun 25, 2009

Posted by Erin Eddy

www.ourayland.com

Real estate buyers have until August 14 to name their own price on seven pre-furnished luxury residences in Mountain Village. That is, as long as the price they name is $2 million, or more.

The last seven vacant condominiums at See Forever Village at The Peaks are on the market this summer by way of an online bidding system.

See Forever developer John Abrams hopes his “Developer Celebration Sale” will inject some new enthusiasm into the Telluride real estate market and establish a new mechanism for the purchase of resort property.

Just north of The Peaks, See Forever Village is a set of 24 condominiums and four freestanding residences that overlook the Telluride Valley Floor. The units, fully furnished by The Decorator's Unlimited, are also managed by The Peaks, a contract that gives See Forever Village owners access to housekeeping services, maintenance, membership to the Golden Door Spa, and other amenities.

Construction, which was divided into three phases, started on the project in 2002, and units started selling in 2004. Now, to sell the last seven, Abrams is responding to a changed market.

“It's no longer a seller's market,” he says. “It's a buyers market.”

Abrams believes that there are still buyers who would like to own Telluride real estate, but they haven't gotten the push they need: a good deal. Marketing consultant Lynette Hegeman says that, rather than just lowering the price, See Forever's new bidding system allows interested parties to name a price they think is reasonable.

Under the system devised by Abrams and Hegeman, buyers can start making bids online after they submit a $25,000 deposit, which is fully refundable if they don't submit a bid that is accepted. Four of the units' starting bids are $2 million, two of the others start at $2.7 million, and the final one is $2.8 million. The condos range from 2,580 to 3,441 square feet.

Abrams also has also established a maximum price for each of the residences; if a buyer reaches the reserve price, the bidding will stop and they will get the condo immediately. Otherwise, the residences will go to the highest bidder, but even that doesn't guarantee a unit. Just because bidding for a unit starts at $2 million doesn't necessarily mean that Abrams will accept that price.

“John Abrams isn't here to give away units,” he says. “I didn't work this hard to sell these units at a ridiculously low price.”

Abrams adds that he isn't desperate to sell the rest of See Forever; since the units are fully built and his construction loans are paid off, he is not losing money while the condos are vacant. Rather, Abrams wants to sell because that's what developers do.

“My incentive is to turn over units and invest the money in other projects. I'm not in the business of sitting on real estate,” he says. “This is not a distress sale. This is a marketing model.”

Hegeman adds that anyone considering buying luxury real estate could probably afford one of the condos without the sale.

“A lot of [potential buyers] don't have to worry about financing,” Hegeman says.

The difference, now, is that these “smart, savvy” buyers are getting a good deal by being able to choose their price, Hegeman says, and if wealthy potential buyers see a good deal, they'll take it.

And in a low-price market, Abrams knows that buyers won't bite without “all the bells and whistles,” including spacious rooms, furnishings and views.

Abrams entered the real estate market in Mountain Village 15 years ago, when he bought and later sold a penthouse at The Peaks. He went on to build ten homes in Mountain Village and The Lodge at Mountain Village. He started building See Forever Village seven years ago, with the pitch that owners there would be liberated from the chores that go along with owing a single-family home.

“There are a lot of second-home buyers that want the convenience of not having to worry about things like summer yard work and mechanical engineering,” Abrams says. “They simply buy a unit and move in.”

Hegeman suggests that the online bidding model for marketing resort property could help stimulate the slow economy. While many developers have cut back on marketing, Hegeman hopes the Developer's Celebration Sale will make waves beyond See Forever Village.

“Other developments might see some response,” she says. “If we sat around and did nothing, nothing would happen.”

Along with advertising in local media, See Forever Village is offering lodging discounts to any buyers who want to visit Telluride to physically tour one of the units. It's also including local brokers, offering them a four percent commission for any of the seven units they sell.

Early in the sale, two of the seven available units have received bids. Hegeman explains that one reason the sale is summer-long is so potential buyers have time to do their “due diligence,” and research other real-estate opportunities. She adds that the sale, which began Monday, June 15, has received positive feedback from current See Forever residents and past prospective buyers.

Telluride Properties agent Brian O'Neill, who lists condominium units at the Capella Telluride, says that while the online bidding system is not necessarily a new idea, it is a creative one that might turn the market “a little bit.” At the Capella, units range from $850,000 to $7 million and 850 to 4,500 square feet.

“Two-million is a great value for one of those units,” O'Neill says.

To entice buyers, Capella is offering a 20 percent discount on the price of the condominium, a year's worth of free homeowners association dues and other benefits. O'Neill says that numerous guests have expressed interest in buying Capella condos, but that interest doesn't necessarily lead to a sale, especially when buyers think that prices could drop even further.

“I'm worried about people actually buying,” he says. “It takes quite a while for people to believe that we're actually at the bottom.”

Abrams agrees that now is a good time to buy Telluride real estate. Because of the slow economy, new properties are not being developed, so once all the available properties are sold, prices will increase dramatically in the three to five years it takes for developers to bring new inventory on the market. He adds that, in his 15 years of real estate experience, he has seen the market cycle from high to low at least three times.

“Once you see the low-lying fruit taken off the market you'll see prices go up.” Abrams says. “I've seen that the market goes down, corrects, and then goes up even higher.”

For more information on the See Forever Village Developer's Celebration Sale, go to www.seeforevervillage.com.

Resort News

In Ski Country

Written by Allen Best - Jun 11, 2009

Ouray County Watch

Posted by Erin Eddy - www.ourayland.com

Steamboat debates merits of ban on real estate signs

STEAMBOAT SPRINGS, Colo. – Real estate agent Michelle Avery says all real-estate signs should be prohibited by the city’s sign code. “Other resort towns have adopted this ordinance, and I feel strongly that Steamboat should do the same,” she writes in The Steamboat Pilot & Today. “Simply stated, the signs are an eyesore.”

A slew of website bloggers beg to different. One blogger, Ralph Cantafio, contends that outright elimination for aesthetic reasons is simply inappropriate. “Government should be very careful to use only reasonable restrictions,” he writes. Part of his reasoning is that eliminating signs eliminates communication, free communication being a hallmark of a democratic society.

Aspen and T’ride tumble, but not so Jackson Hole

ASPEN, Colo. – Nothing in the numbers being reported in the Aspen area suggest that the economy there has started a comeback. Very much the opposite.

Sales tax collections through the first four months of the year in Aspen were down 20 percent. At nearby Snowmass Village, the drop was more precipitous yet, 30 percent, while real estate transfer tax collections were down 80 percent.

Citing Land Title Guarantee reporting, The Aspen Times says that dollar volume for real estate sales across Pitkin County was off 30 percent compared to 2008 – which ended up being the lowest-volume year since 2004. Down-valley in Garfield County, where the resort economy intersects with the now faltering boom in natural gas drilling, the real estate sales volume was down 80 percent.

In Telluride, the story is the same: sales tax revenues this year have been down 12 to 15 percent, and the real-estate transfer tax at year’s end may total only $750,000, compared to $5 million just two years ago.

Inexplicably, the story in Jackson, Wyo., seems to be different, at least in regard to retail sales, which have been down only 3 percent. Moreover, the Jackson Hole News & Guide reports hope among locals that the economy in Teton County will actually start growing again. Visitation to Yellowstone, after being down for several years, has actually been up 11 percent this year, and at Grand Teton National Park it was even.

What mountain rivers will help Denver grow?

GUNNISON, Colo. – Mountain towns in the Rockies have a symbiotic relationship with Denver and other cities along Colorado’s urbanized, Front Range corridor. It is typically also one of ambivalence

That Front Range corridor already consists of four million people, the single largest source of skiing customers in North America, perhaps anywhere on the planet. That base allows Colorado ski areas with relative proximity to survive even when the more distant - but more lucrative – destination skiers stay at home.

That was evident in last week’s report from Vail Resorts, which has four major ski areas within a two-hour drive of that Front Range population, plus another at Lake Tahoe. While destination skiers dropped to 57 percent of the total visitation this past winter, compared to 63 percent the year before, Vail Resorts had a total decline of skier visits of only 5.3 percent.

But the need of Front Range cities for water causes continuing tension, with reverberations as far away as Jackson, Wyo.

Native supplies were proving inadequate even 125 years ago, when farmers discovered they had insufficient water during late summer to finish their crops. To accommodate their needs, creeks from the western side off the Continental Divide, in the area of Rocky Mountain National Park, were diverted eastward.

Since then, the headwaters areas from Granby southward to Winter Park, Breckenridge, Vail and Aspen, have become configured with an intricate labyrinth of ditches, reservoirs, canals and tunnels, all with the intent of achieving what historian (and Telluride native) David Lavender described as a “massive violation of geography.”

With the easy diversions completed decades ago, Front Range interests began to look for the small increments close in, what has been described as the “last drop,” or with big straws in mind to draw from more distant sources.

The drought of 2002 provoked an even greater intensity of focus. So do population projections that envision the state’s population doubling by the year 2050, with four-fifths of that population growth occurring along the Front Range.

One idea still being studied calls for pumping of water from Green Mountain Reservoir, located on the Blue River, about 20 miles to Dillon Reservoir, for diversion to Denver. A compensatory dam on the Eagle River west of Vail might be the quid pro quo to the Western Slope.

Other ideas look at more distant sources. Aaron Million proposes to withdraw water from the Green River, which starts in Wyoming’s Wind River Range, an hour or two south of the town of Jackson. The river briefly enters Colorado before continuing down to a confluence with the Colorado River near Moab. As such, Million says, Colorado is entitled to the water from the Green as per river compacts reached in 1922 and 1948. But Wyoming isn’t so sure. Even people in Jackson, Wyo., who would be unaffected, have been testy about the idea.

Another idea calls for a diversion from the Yampa River, about 65 miles west of Steamboat Springs. The Yampa is tributary to the Green.

Still another thought sees a potential water source in Blue Mesa Reservoir, west of Gunnison. The water, some 200,000 acre-feet annually, might not actually be withdrawn from the reservoir; but the water stored within the reservoir might be appropriated for diversion to the Front Range.

Recently, reports the Crested Butte News, state representatives visited water district officials in the Gunnison area to talk about the long-term big picture. Harris Sherman, the executive director of the state’s Department of Natural Resources, said the state needed to be “looking 20, 30, 40 years out.”

Complicating the envisioning is the likelihood of reduced water supplies because of warming temperatures and changed precipitation patterns. While scientists remain uncertain, one study at Colorado State University sees a 2 to 20 percent reduction in flows of the upper Colorado River, Sherman noted.

None of the world’s problems were solved at the meeting. But, from the report in the News, it was an uncommonly good one for quotes.

Consider the remarks of Steve Glazer, a long-time water activist from Crested Butte. “There are a plethora of poison pills here,” he said. One such “pill” is that Colorado really is not entitled to as much water as this plan envisions. A study is underway to help sort that out.

Ken Spann, who ranches between Crested Butte and Gunnison, also added some folksiness to the proceedings. He said not enough details about the plan have been provided about the Blue Mesa idea for him to have an informed opinion.

“Without meat on the horse, I can’t tell whether to feed it hay or grain,” said Spann.

Canmore and Banff try to help tourism evolve

CANMORE, Alberta – With real estate development in the tank, Canmore has begun studying how it can foster its tourism economy. The city government has appropriated $80,000 for the study, which will include hiring consultants.

The tourism industry is not broken, said John Samms, who directs an organization called Tourism Canmore. But it is evolving.

Up the road at Banff, municipal representatives were plotting how to sell the Canadian Rockies as an affordable alternative to Whistler for ski vacations when Whistler hosts the Olympics next February.

A bit of grime not all bad in mountain towns

DURANGO, Colo. – Durango has never been a high-end destination resort. True, the town fills with tourists each summer, most drawn to take the narrow-gauge train to Silverton. And in winter there’s a ski area up the road.

But Durango exudes a more earthy, blue-collar feel than even those ski towns that once were mining towns. Durango Telegraph co-editor Will Sands, formerly of Crested Butte and Telluride, says Durango has some hard edges, what he calls “a bit of grease in the town’s silver spoon.”

Yet with plenty of biking trails, whitewater through the middle of town, and sharply defined mountains in the distance, it’s at no loss for outdoor amenities.

“Yep, I’ve seen the royal Hollywood treatment inflicted on two birds of paradise and can tell you first-hand that there are worse creatures lurking in the night than Desert Rock,” says Sand, alluding to a proposed power plant about 50 miles away.

“We’re a pint of excellent microbrew with a thumb-print on the glass,” he concludes.

Summit County prepares to help Senegalese villages

SILVERTHORNE, Colo. – Labor-strapped employers in Summit County a decade ago began recruiting employees from Africa. Among the countries sending residents to work the fast-food joints, clean the hotel rooms and so forth was Senegal, a country considered stable but with a high unemployment rate.

From this intersection of needs now comes an intercultural exchange. The Summit Daily News reports a recent spaghetti dinner at the local Elks Lodge at which Senegalese culture was to be exhibited and funds collected. Plans were to purchase medical supplies, buy mosquito nets, and donate computers to Senegal.

Sun Valley continues debate about airport

KETCHUM, Idaho – The Sun Valley Co., operator of the ski area, continues to argue against a new airport at a location more distant from Ketchum and Sun Valley. Most community groups seem to support a new airport, which would accommodate larger airplanes. But that tentative site will be about twice as far from Sun Valley as the current location at Hailey, about 20 miles from the resort center. Wally Huffman, the company’s director of resort development, fears travelers will be unwilling to pay a premium to fly to the Sun Valley area, rather than to Twin Falls or Boise – Idaho towns that are more distant, but within a couple of hours drive.

Runway extension will increase airport traffic

GYPSUM, Colo. – Eagle County Regional Airport has been closed for the summer while the runway gets extended 1,000 feet. The airport accommodates traffic primarily to the Vail and Beaver Creek area, but also has become a significant portal for Aspen-Snowmass visitors.

When completed, the 9,000-foot-long runway will be better able to accommodate jets flying from distant cities, including New York City. Because of the relatively high elevation, about 6,500 feet, and mountain topography, larger planes taking off from the airport during warmer, summer months cannot carry full passenger loads. This decreases the revenue. A longer runway will also accommodate longer flights during winter, theoretically even from Europe.

As it has for much of the work at the airport during the last quarter-century, the Federal Aviation Administration will pick up 95 percent of the $22 million cost. Compared with the airport at Aspen, where the largest jet holds no more than 74 passengers, many jets at Eagle County Regional have room for up to 194 passengers.

High-tech goodies in hospital at Park City

PARK CITY, Utah – While politicians in Washington D.C. debate how to contain spiraling health-care costs, an $88 million hospital prepares to open near Park City. The Park Record says that a crane was required recently to install a $1.6 million magnetic-resonance imaging machine. “It is rare for a hospital this size to have an MRI like this,” said Jeff Kirk, the medical center’s imaging coordinator. “We will have some really great equipment.” The hospital, located approximately 30 miles from Salt Lake City, also has massive heat lamps, still wrapped in plastic, waiting for their first hypothermia patient. The hospital also has a state-of-the-art decontamination room.

Solar panel installations likely to slow down, too

CARBONDALE, Colo. – While other construction hands have been looking for work, installers of solar panels were working overtime through much of 2009 in the Roaring Fork and Eagle valleys. But now that work will likely slow down, too.

The problem, explains The Aspen Times, is that several organizations that were providing rebates to consumers installing photovoltaic panels have already exhausted their budgets.

For example, when Holy Cross Energy debuted its incentive program in 2004, nobody took advantage of the credits. But last year, 55 projects got rebates. This year, 92 projects had been allocated credits by the end of May.

Causing the surge this year was an additional stimulus, a change in the federal tax code, which added another inducement: a tax credit equal to 30 percent of a solar PV installation cost, minus any rebates.

Mammoth talks about seeming to be on move

MAMMOTH LAKES, Calif. – The Sheet, with a touch of sarcasm, reports on a recent economic development meeting in Mammoth Lakes, at which one speaker suggested a slogan for the community: “Mammoth on the Move.”

For a logo, however, she stops short of suggesting a U-Haul truck, says the newspaper.

The town seems to have its fair share of vacant lots and boarded-up buildings. One of the proposals is to erect signs on vacant lots saying, “Future Site of Mixed Use Development.”

Good enough, said one council member, as long as the signs give no completion dates.

Banff wardens allowed to carry guns in park

BANFF, Alberta – Seven wardens in Banff National Park can now pack Heckler and Koch 9mm handguns while patrolling trails, campgrounds and roads. While it is not their main job, the wardens have the power to deal with dangerous, drunken, or speeding drivers on the park’s roads and highways. Parks Canada has authorized 100 wardens across the country to carry guns. A 2001 ruling found that wardens were at risk of grievous bodily harm, possibly death, unless they carried self-defense equipment.

Teachers’ starting pay going up to $54,500

JACKSON, Wyo. – Teachers in Jackson and Teton County may get raises next year, with the starting salary for a teacher with a bachelor’s degree moving up to $54,500, while one with a master’s degree getting not quite $60,000.

In Colorado’s Summit County, base pay for teachers will be at $37,000 during the next academic year. In Aspen, the beginning pay is $40,200. In the Carbondale-Glenwood Springs area, it will be $35,000.

Affordable Ouray Real Estate

Posted by: Erin Eddy

www.ourayland.com

Multijurisdictional board ready to act on affordable housing

OURAY Now that a county-wide affordable housing plan has been discussed, studied and drafted over the past five months, its time to put some of its strategies into action.

The Affordable Housing Action Plan, presented to a sparse audience May 27 at the Ouray Community Center, was developed to guide the work of the fledgling Ouray County Housing Authority (OCHA) and to coordinate efforts of the City of Ouray, Town of Ridgway and Ouray County.
The plan consists of five sections: Update of Housing Needs; Policies and Guiding Principles; Goals and Objectives; Action Plan; and Administration.
Our focus was on shared responsibility, said Jen Coates, OCHA board member and Town of Ridgway planner. This is not going to be an out-of-the-gate action plan.
Other OCHS board members are Land Use Coordinator Mike Fedel and Councilwoman Betty Wolfe from Ouray; Ridgway Town Councilman Paul Hebert and from Ouray County former commissioner Don Batchelder. They were assisted in drafting the action plan by Melanie Rees of Rees Consulting in Crested Butte.
Rees said the groupÕs first step was to review a Housing Needs Assessment completed in 2008. Based on surveys conducted the previous year, the report concluded that 149 additional units were needed to address existing or catch-up demand for affordable housing. Since then, however, economic conditions have changed in terms of local construction, employment and demand for housing.
Rees said there is no easy number to define affordable housing and those used are Òare not set in concrete.Ó As an example, she used $61,400 as the annual area median income for a four-person household, which puts an affordable home purchase price at $194,000. She also said, Òwhether you rent or buy, a household should limit its monthly payment to 30% of its gross income.
County Commissioner Lynn Padgett said the housing review showed there has been an increase in second or vacation homes throughout the county, which has caused an increase in residential prices. As noted in the draft plan, despite intergovernmental agreements that residential growth should take place within Ouray and Ridgway, more than half of new home construction from 2000-07 was in the unincorporated area of Ouray County.
The proposed action plan, said Padgett, strives to direct future growth within the urban growth boundaries of the two municipalities. To address existing needs (catch-up) and future needs (keep-up) approximately 55% of affordable housing should be developed in Ridgway, 28% in Ouray and 17% in Ouray County. Up to 50 affordable housing units, evenly split between low and moderate income levels, should be developed by 2012.
Coates said the OCHA board is aware of budget constraints of its three participating jurisdictions and that some of its 12 strategies require further study and analysis. For that reason the plan, according to its most recent draft, Òoutlines a pragmatic approach that focuses immediately on improvements to the existing housing inventory and postpones plans for unit development until market indicators suggest that new construction would be prudent and feasible.
Should the county, city and town agree, two of those strategies could get underway this year. Rehabilitation & Weatherization would provide assistance to existing residential units to address high utility costs, unsafe surroundings and the potential for overcrowding and dissatisfaction due to disrepair or less than desirable living conditions. Assistance could include energy audits, grants and low-interest loans.
Second is a common, or similar, Annexation Policy followed by the City of Ouray and the Town of Ridgway. New development would be required to address not only the impacts to housing that it directly generates, but to improve conditions that currently exist in the communities, including a shortage in the availability of affordably priced housing, be it for sale or for rent.
Coates said itÕs still a work in progress to determine the tasks for each strategy, how it might happen and how much it will cost. The next step, she said, is to gain as much input as possible by June 5 from a questionnaire on the draft plan. (A copy of the draft plan, and the questionnaire, is available on the Town of Ridgway website).
OCHA members and its task force will hold a follow-up meeting and prepare a final draft by June 24.

By Patrick Davarn, news editor

Ouray real estate future encroachment isses

Council Ponders Permits for Use of Sidewalks

Written by Gus Jarvis

Posted by Erin Eddy

www.ourayland.com
www.ridgwayland.com



SIDEWALK USE – Town staff has been directed by the Ridgway Town Council to come up with permitting standards for the use of public sidewalks for patio seating. (Photo by Cecily Bryson)
slideshow Affects Businesses With Patio Seating for Patrons

RIDGWAY – A simple request to transfer a liquor license sparked a lengthy discussion of outdoor seating in public rights-of-way at the Ridgway Town Council Wednesday.

A number of businesses in town already have small patio tables on adjacent sidewalks, but the process for allowing such seating has largely gone unnoticed, until now. Council was asked to approve the transfer of a liquor license to Randy Gregory, who runs Randy’s Independence Café, and included in that request was the use of the sidewalk that runs parallel to Clinton Street.

Council granted the transfer request, but without the sidewalk provision – a situation they deemed needed further review, as the scenario will likely come before them again. Town Clerk Pam Kraft told council the owners of the Colorado Boy brewery, located on Clinton and Cora streets, will also soon be requesting the use of its adjacent sidewalks for patio seating.

At the center of Wednesday’s discussion was whether or not patio seating on the public right-of-way for restaurants and bars should be included in the actual licensing process or if it should be a part of a separate permitting process.

“I would be OK with it essentially being a permit,” Mayor Pat Willits said, adding that if the use includes the consumption of alcohol “it does deserve the opportunity for the public to comment.”

Most councilmembers and town staff agreed that a permitting process would be the best way to control individual situations, but left undecided how far the permitting process should reach. Should every business in town that has a table in the right-of-way be required to hold a permit? How does the consumption of alcohol change a particular permit? And is a measured encroachment onto a sidewalk allowable at a certain distance for all establishments?

According to the Ridgway Municipal Code, the use of sidewalks can be approved by town council as long as it does not obstruct or construct any other improvement or impede or obstruct normal pedestrian traffic. Furthermore, the code states: “Public and private uses of the public rights-of-way for location of equipment employed in the provision of public services should, in the interests of the general welfare, be accommodated; however, the Town must insure that the primary purpose of the right-of-way, passage of pedestrian and vehicular traffic, is maintained to the greatest extent possible.” It goes on to state that a permit is not required for minor encroaching structures, such as tables and chairs, authorized by council approval.

Still, Town Attorney John Kappa said on Wednesday that a permit would help the town keep control of any encroachments.

“The business of encroaching upon and using rights-of-way is very difficult to treat consistently,” Kappa said.

Council agreed, at least informally, that businesses would need to apply for a special use permit to use sidewalks for business purposes. The details of those permits are to be worked out by town staff in the coming weeks.

“What we are asking is for a special use permit and for you guys to come back with the standards,” Willits told staff to close the discussion.

Ouray Homerule

Home Rule gains election victory

Posted by Erin Eddy

www.ourayland.com
www.ridgwayland.com

Voters endorse Charter

Plaindealer staff report

Voters in Ouray approved converting municipal government structure to Home Rule on Tuesday by an overwhelming margin of 165-58.
"I regret not being in town for the election but am delighted with the results. The solid support is an indicator of the trust and confidence the community has in the team that put the Charter together. Thank you and congratulations to all of you," said Mayor Bob Risch.
City Administrator Patrick Rondinelli expressed thanks to everyone for their hard work, dedication, and support. Rondinelli noted that Ouray becomes the state’s 99th Home Rule municipality.
Tuesday’s voting tally was 91 in favor to 33 against in Ward 1, east of Main Street, and 74 to 25 in Ward 2, west of Main. Under the approved Home Rule Charter, council members will no longer be elected to represent a ward.
The May 5 election follows the process of establishing home rule in Ouray, which began last November when city voters approved a home rule ballot question by a margin of 392 ballots in favor to 235 against.
That referendum also determined the election of nine candidates to the Charter Commission: Pam Larson, who served as chairman, Matt Genuit, Mike Fedel, Rick Spaulding, Dee Williams, Betty Wolfe, Joe Kersen, Lora Slawitschka and Gary Hansen.
“This is truly a celebratory and historic day for the City of Ouray, its citizens, and the community as a whole,” said Genuit. “The most sincere gratitude and accolades to everyone who was a part of this process. I am proud to have contributed to it. Congratulations to the home rule municipality of Ouray.”
Home rule, in its simplest terms, allows the City of Ouray and its citizenship to self-govern and be free of state-enabled legislation.
The Charter sets forth the form of government under the direction of City Council and City Administrator. The administrator is accountable to the council and responsible for the effect and enforcement of any and all regular city business.
As it is now, the City Council will consist of five members, including the mayor, and will be elected at-large without term limits. All current ordinances, referendums, contracts and initiatives remain in effect.
Also as before, any changes in city tax rates must go to the vote of the citizens of Ouray and a vote will still be required even if TABOR is changed or overturned.
The Charter is made up of 12 articles: General Provisions; City Council; Council Procedures; Elections; Administration; Initiatives and Referendums; Municipal Court; Utilities, Franchises and City Property; Finance; Borrowing; Improvement Districts, Authorities, and Assessments; and Effective Date and Transitions Provisions. A copy is available at the city website (www.ci.ouray.co.us).
Ten years ago, Ouray voters declined a home rule measure, 191-154, on the 1998 ballot. In 2001, voters rejected home rule for Ouray County, 780-731. Ridgway converted to home rule in 1993. Other neighboring municipalities operating under Home Rule Charters include Montrose, Delta and Telluride.