February 2005 |
| Breckenridge
News The head of the Dillon Ranger District has given preliminary approval to Breckenridge's proposed Summit Lift to the top of Peak 8. There is now a 45-day appeals period. Barring anything out of the ordinary, such as likely lawsuits, construction will begin this summer. Also on the drawing board is replacing the old double chair #6 with a high-speed quad. This also has preliminary approval but no word yet on when construction might begin. Beacon
Basin is now open on Peak 8. Located above the Vista Haus restaurant it
is an area about 10,000 square feet set aside for people to practice using
their avalanche beacons for search and rescue. Every morning the ski patrol
will bury a number of transceivers. People must bring their own beacons
to practice finding them as if they were people buried in an avalanche.
A local ski patroller made the point, “You can have the best equipment
in the world, but if you don’t know how to use it’s worthless.”
Call the ski patrol for more information at; 970-496-7294. |
| WHY
I LIVE HERE… Our western forests our not healthy. There are hundreds of thousands of dead trees due to disease and insect infestation. The National Forest Service is increasing its active management by increased cutting and hauling of standing dead and down trees. Summit County is studying the possible use of the waste as a heat source for its public buildings. The trees and by products would be reduced to chips for burning in a high temperature furnace. Such a heat source is cleaner than fossil fuel and is a renewable resource, it’s estimated Summit County could produce over 10,000 tons of fuel annually. |
| SCHOOL
NEWS… Summit Schools are in top shape under the NCLB act. Almost 98% of our local teachers are rated "highly qualified" by federal standards. The district is in the forefront of the process to get teachers this level of training and proficiency. Special funds are set aside and information is supplied on when and where to get the necessary education. In fact Colorado is leading the nation in getting it teachers to meet the NCLB standards. In a recently released report Colorado received an A+, the only state to receive an A or better in the country. |
| SNOW
NEWS KEEPS GETTING DEEPER! Nearly 200 people were at Clear Creek High School for the first of 10 public hearings on the Interstate 70 corridor plan. Most of those in attendance favored a monorail system, but officials from the Colorado Department of Transportation stuck to their position that an elevated monorail is not a viable solution for the I-70 corridor. Supporters of a monorail system from Denver to Vail released a study that shows the project is technically feasible and can be done for less cost per mile than a planned highway expansion. The study shows a "magnetic levitation” system could be built for $5.6 billion for 156 miles versus 40 miles of highway expansion for $2.9 billion. CDOT’s position can be read at: www.I70mtncorridor.com. #1 on their list is boring another hole in the Continental Divide and making the freeway three lanes in each direction. This could take up to 15 years. Officials from Vail Resorts and Colorado Ski Country USA are in support of adding lanes to Interstate 70 along the 40-mile stretch between Floyd Hill and the Eisenhower Tunnel as a short-term solution to highway congestion along the I-70 corridor. Vail Resorts also wants to see mass transit options preserved in the right-of-way. I am unsure as to how a 15-year construction project with an ongoing series of closures and delays is a good short-term solution. |
| TRAVEL
TIPS, FROM HUMBLE BEGINNINGS... Outside my window, the moon forms a halo around the mountain peak like a four thousand foot angel. The clouds cling to the rocky slopes and trees forming heavenly robes waving in a gentle breeze. Across the narrow valley the sheer rock face rises abruptly, dwarfing the ancient town below. It’s midnight in Switzerland and I am still wide-awake from jet lag but in awe of a scene that reminds me of my tiny place in the universe. I don’t mind this is why I came, to see sites of immeasurable beauty, yet ordinary in this surreal countryside. Switzerland is a tiny country, yet so intense. It’s as if nature reached out her arms and grabbed the beauty of thousands of miles and squeezed it down until it couldn’t be compacted any smaller. Not all the beauty lies in the mountain scenery. Switzerland has enough culture to fill three countries, literally. There are four official languages and a French, German and Italian section of the country that are at the same time distinctively Swiss. You get French culture with Swiss hospitality, Italian culture with total efficiency and German culture with a little more Alpine flair to it. It sounds improbable but it works as seamlessly as the Swiss train system. The trains are improbable in themselves. They are spotlessly clean, meticulously maintained and always within a minute of the schedule. They have to be because the rail lines are used to their maximum capacity. As you are waiting in the station, a freight will fly by at full speed on the same track as your train will be coming in on, then as you board, a passenger train will charge past on the next track in the opposite direction. Amazingly, a few miles up the route you notice that there is only one set of tracks through the tunnel and you appreciate the precision necessary to keep from having a major disaster. Come to think of it I don’t recall ever hearing of a train collision in Switzerland, do you? I enjoy just riding around on the train and enjoying the scenery. Much more relaxing than driving and the longer routes have dining cars so you can enjoy a meal and a show. Switzerland is not the cheapest place to vacation; in fact it’s probably one of the most expensive. One thing you will not complain about is the quality. Every thing is first class and worth what they ask. You will not be disappointed while indulging yourself on chocolate, cheese, wine, beer and the freshest in local meat and lake fish. Be sure to get lots of hiking in so you can enjoy another round later. |
| INVESTMENT
OPPORTUNITIES Some major real estate projects have been announced and are taking off like crazy already. First is the townhome addition to the Vail Resorts Company’s Mountain Thunder Lodge. These luxury homes are being built where the new skiway from Peak 8 and gondola will be, i.e. soon to be ski-in/ski-out properties. They have already sold half of them; so if you want to get in before they are gone, call me today. The other is named “Blue Sky”. It is ski-in/ski-out at the base of the Snowflake Lift. It will be the most luxurious development ever done in Breckenridge according to the developer. They did extensive research into Vail, Aspen and Beaver Creek and believe they will have a resort on par with any in these fabled towns. Pre-construction prices won’t last long so call today. |
| MARKET
CONDITIONS REPORT There was a new record of $2.25 billion in real estate sales in Eagle County in 2004, 133% higher than the $1.7 billion in sales in 2000, the previous record. Sales in 2004 included $386.3 million for raw land and commercial sales and the average sales price for the year was $675,939. The Eisenhower Tunnel set another record in 2004, with 10,692,957 vehicles traveling through the tunnel on Interstate 70, up 75,580 from 2003, according to the Colorado Department of Transportation. Skier-snowboarder visits to Colorado resorts for the Oct. 15-Dec. 31 period totaled 2.93 million, up from 2.71 million for the corresponding period a year ago. The state’s annual record for skier visits is 11.98 million, posted in 1997-98. The total value of Colorado’s natural gas, coal, oil and mineral production for 2004 was $8.74 million, according to an estimate to be released Wednesday. The $8.74 million is up 44% from 2003 and more than two-thirds of the total value, or $6 billion, came from natural gas. |