July 2004 |
| Breckenridge
News Now that we are into the heart of summer what are the upcoming events to be excited about? Well, you should probably check the Altitude News’ Schedule and make your own picks because I think every day in The Rockies is an event. If you like to run and want an amazing challenge, start getting in shape for the Breckenridge Crest Mountain Marathon. This is considered one of the top trail marathons and it takes place on September 5th . It’s the tenth anniversary this year and has also been declared the USA Track and Field Association’s trail championship. Runners will come from around the world to enjoy the scenery and the altitude. Proceeds benefit the BOEC. On July 4th at 12:30pm, shortly after the parade, celebrate the grand opening of the new Barney Ford Museum. The museum will be a tribute to Barney Ford, a prominent black Coloradoan and the original owner of the home. Born a slave in 1822 he became a leading businessman and civic leader in Breckenridge, Denver and Cheyenne. In 1879 Barney opened a restaurant on Main and Washington in Breckenridge. The home was built in 1882 and was considered a showplace. Ford became wealthy from his investment in the Oro mine and retired to Denver in 1890. Barney Ford is commemorated in the Colorado Business hall of Fame and listed as one of the 100 Greatest Coloradoans. The museum will be open this summer from 10-2 and will shut down for the winter for further restoration. In a huge development that is affecting just about everything in The West many of our representatives are banding together to repeal a law originally passed during the Civil War to encourage settlers to come this way. RS 2477 makes anyplace a human ever traversed: by horse, foot or wagon, automatically a public right of way. The loggers, miners and oil people have begun using this loophole to enter formally forbidden territory, including designated and potential wilderness areas. To those of us who would like a few places left in their natural state, like local wildlife, the situation has gotten out of hand. The good news is that soon everyone may be on the same side of the issue as hikers, mountain bikers and ATV users have begun using the law to traverse private property. How would you like to find out that your pristine acreage had a wagon road across it 150 years ago and now is a public highway? Stop the madness and contact your congressperson ASAP. Officials of the White River National Forest have lifted fire restrictions on forest lands until further notice, but the Bureau of Land Management lands in Garfield, Pitkin and Eagle counties, managed by the Grand Junction and Glenwood Springs field offices still have fire restrictions in place. |
| WHY
I LIVE HERE… The Summit Foundation, an organization that exists solely to promote non-profit organizations, recently passed the $6 million mark in giving over its twenty-year existence. Last month almost $350,000 was awarded to 26 organizations to promote arts, health and human services and the environment. Among the recipients the school district received a grant that allows under privileged families to send their kids to preschool, extended kindergarten and after-school programs. Also receiving assistance were 34 high school graduates who received over $90,000 in scholarships. Great Outdoors Colorado, the organization that distributes lottery proceeds, will be awarding a record $97 million this year. About $60 million will go to large projects and acquisitions and the remaining $37 million will go to things like ball fields, skate parks playgrounds and trails. These awards will help preserve 14,000 acres and improve recreation in 30 counties. Since 1993 GOCO has awarded almost $400 million to recreation and open space preservation. Recent studies have shown that communities where smoking is prohibited in public buildings the incidence of kids smoking is reduced and the incidence of adult smokers quitting increases. In response to the local voters’ wishes, Summit County went smokeless last month. Two thousand bicyclists participated in the recent Denver Post Ride the Rockies, a weeklong 430-mile tour over passes and through valleys of the high country. Along the way they distributed almost $50,000 in the six host communities. Their contributions in Summit County were aimed at improving early education. The Early Childhood Options received $5,000 for their Head Start and English Language Acquisition programs. The Summit County Preschool in Frisco got a like amount for computers and books. |
| SCHOOL
NEWS… In a recent article our new superintendent outlined some of the strengths and weaknesses of our schools as well as some plans for the near future. Among the good things that people see are the wide array of programs offered, including the expansion of the International Baccalaureate program to all the middle school students and the Colorado Mountain College Supergrad integration at the high school. New for this year include elementary school reading and middle school math programs. One of the ideas on the drawing board is expanding the workplace training experience for high school students. Intended to go beyond just being a trade school, some of the study areas would give college bound students hands on experience. Currently offered are culinary arts, multimedia and computer technology. Possible future offerings may include fire science, medical prep, tourism, outdoor education and several others. You can receive the district’s e-newsletter keeping you up to date on all the improvements by calling: 970-668-3011 Thanks to local voters our school system has been able to move forward in huge leaps through the recession when many others had to cut back. A special three-year mill levy allowed the district to improve its technology, upgrade maintenance on its older facilities and build the new $10 million Silverthorne Elementary School. This, the final year of the special fund will allow the school to maintain services despite cutbacks in state funding. Voters will be asked to approve extending the fund in November. |
| SNOW
NEWS…for the ages It is with pride and sorrow that The Altitude News shares the passing of two of our ski pioneers this past month. One of Breckenridge’s own, the beloved and soft-spoken Olav Pedersen, was responsible for starting a multitude of local traditions. Olav grew up in Norway and began skiing at age three, won his first ski jumping medal when he was 12 and fought the Germans, on his skis, in the Norwegian resistance during the occupation. On the advise of a blind friend Olav began teaching the blind to cross country ski in 1952. In 1963 the first Ridderrenn, a race for blind skiers, was held. It now hosts over a thousand racers and guides from a dozen countries. In 1964 some old friends, Trygve Berge and Sigurd Rockne convinced him to move to the fledgling ski resort of Breckenridge where he taught downhill skiing for fifteen years. In the year 1975, on his 58th birthday no less, Olav saw his dream of a blind skiers' race come to his new hometown. The first “Ski for Light” was even featured on Charles Kuralt’s “On the Road” TV program. As Olav proceeded through his prime years, sixties and seventies, he coached the Blind US Ski Team, created the Frisco Gold Rush Citizen’s X-C Race, was a founding member of the BOEC, and won the national NASTAR alpine ski championships at age 70 for his age group. Olav Pedersen was inducted into the Colorado Ski Hall of Fame in 1997 and the National Ski Hall of Fame in 2000. He passed away June 16, 2004 at the age of 87, having never wasted a moment on this earth. If you would like to honor him contributions can be made to the Ski for Light, Inc., 1455 West Lake St., Minneapolis, MN 55408. We also lost Dick Durrance on June 13. Dick was instrumental in the advance of ski racing in this country and served as the first general manager of the Aspen Ski Co. Born in Florida, Dick moved to Garmisch, Germany as a boy and quickly picked up the advanced European ski techniques. In 1932 he won the German Junior Alpine Championships. Upon returning to the US he attended Dartmouth College and became recognized as the best skier in the country. He dominated the US ski circuits and placed 8th in the slalom and 11th in the downhill in the ’36 Olympics, coincidentally held in Garmisch. After college he worked in Sun Valley and also became the pioneer of ski films. During the war Dick worked to rebuild Alta, Utah as well as helping to train the 10th Mountain Division paratroopers in the Little Cottonwood Canyon. After the war Dick took over as GM at Aspen at a time when Aspen was practically nothing. He put it on the map when he brought the World Cup Championships to town in 1950. His film documentary on the event is considered a major turning point in the growth of popularity of skiing in this country. Happy first tracks Dick. |
| TRAVEL
TIPS…SOME OF MY FAVORITE SUMMER DRIVES… But first: If you like to ride your bike in Summit County be aware that you need to obey the same rules of the road as you do driving your car. Some recent incidents have spurred local police to crack down on pedal powered violators. One woman ran a stop sign and hit a car, she flew over the top and broke her neck, and another woman just a few weeks later again ran a stop sign and injured her wrist. Police determined both bicyclists were at fault and have decided that a general disregard for the law has put too many in danger. They will be on the lookout and issuing warnings and citations to those spotted riding recklessly. As promised here are two more of my favorite summer drives. • From I-70 and Hwy 9 in Silverthorne head north on 9. Get an early start so you can have breakfast at the Green Mountain Inn in Heeney while watching the sun come up over Green Mountain Reservoir. Proceed north through Kremmling and turn towards Rabbit Ears Pass, or west on Hwy 40. Twenty-one miles up turn off onto Hwy 134 over Gore Pass. After a wonderful drive through the forest you will drop down on the other side and pick up Hwy 136, here turn toward Vail. For a short stretch you will follow the Colorado River and wind through beautiful ranch land where you can pick a spot for a picnic or stop at the States Bridge Lodge for lunch. Continue on and you could have time for nine hole of golf at one of the many fine courses in the Vail Valley, perhaps staying the night, or just head east on I-70 back to Silverthorne and home by dark. • This is sort of a one-way trip to the middle of nowhere, but you won’t mind a bit when you get there. It’s a road that I have not met another who knows it. Just west of Gunnison is Hwy 149 to Lake City. Lake City is an amazingly well preserved Victorian mining town. Its fame comes from the trial of Alfred Packer, the man who supposedly stayed alive through a blizzard by dining on his traveling companions. All the way from the Gunnison River up over Slumgullon and Spring Creek Passes the road winds through some of the most spectacular parts of the San Juan Mountains. When you get to the other side you can spend some time in South Fork, another town time forgot, go right and hit the hot springs in Pagosa or go left and visit the Great Sand Dunes. Any way you go is the right way. |
| INVESTMENT
OPPORTUNITIES Vail Resorts Inc. announced its best fiscal quarter ever for its third quarter ended April 30. The company's net income rose 86% despite a 1.9% decline in skier visits at its five ski areas. Colorado's unemployment rate fell to 4.9% in May, dropping from 5.1% in April and is down from 6.2% in May 2003. Is there money to be made in real estate? Let’s ask the expert: Donald Trump bought a dilapidated office building at 40 Wall Street in 1995 for $1 million. He has spent $65 million on renovations, the building is now 90% occupied and Trump is asking $400 million for the property. Initial results from an independent survey commissioned by the Breckenridge Resort Chamber showed winter tourists ranked Breckenridge's friendly atmosphere the resort's No. 1 asset. The survey also showed Breckenridge tourists are getting older, participating in more activities than just skiing and are shopping and dining out more. Investors made 84 commercial real estate purchases, totaling $851 million, in the Denver metro area in the first six months of 2004, the second-largest half-year total ever. From a survey of the Travel Industry Association of America, where vacationers most want to visit this summer: 1. Florida 2. California 3. Hawaii 4. New York 5. Colorado What has all this got to do with mountain real estate? Contact me and we can discuss things. |
MARKET
CONDITIONS REPORT Data gathered from the Northwest Colorado Council of Governments' study of second-home ownership in five mountain counties was presented at the Colorado Municipal League Conference in Steamboat Springs. Second-home owners occupied 60% of the housing units in the five counties, are driving job growth, but increasing housing costs are making it harder to accommodate a work force. Owning property that can be rented to workers is a great long-term investment. April sales tax receipts for Summit County were up 10.9% over April 2003. Overall sales tax revenues in Breckenridge in April totaled $614,458, a 7.6% increase over April 2003, bringing the year-to-date totals for the town for the first four months of 2004 to $4.573 million, a 5.9% increase over a year earlier. One positive aspect of the overall increase was the 4.7% increase for the first four months in the retail, restaurant and lodging sectors, an indication that tourism is faring better. The Travel Industry Association of America predicts a 3% increase in leisure travel this summer, the biggest one-year jump in four years. Summer trips by people traveling more than 50 miles from home, in millions: 2000 311 2001 311 2002 317 2003 324 2004 335 (estimated) The summer conference business looks good this year, with more than 15,000 tourists expected in Breckenridge this June, up 41% over June 2003. Overall, Breckenridge's summer reservations are 8% ahead of last year. |