A new report about impacts the apparently changing climate may have on Colorado came out July 23, 2008, from the University of Maryland’s Center for Integrative Environmental Research.
A major concern for resort towns in Colorado, including Summit County, is the warming effect of the climate on skiing, and thus tourism. Colorado is the biggest ski state in the nation. In 2007, skiing created Read more »
Just days after the Denver Water Board abruptly closed the Dam Road between Dillon and Frisco, it got sued.
County commissioners, neighboring towns and the Lake Dillon Fire-Protection District sued jointly, saying the board improperly closed the Dam Road.
The locals want a judge to demand the board reopen the road. Lake Dillon Fire-Protection also issued a notice saying that placing barriers on the road violated international fire code, and, if barriers were not removed, the infraction would be turned over to the sheriff’s office. The board rearranged the barriers so fire trucks could get through, though personnel still has to get out of fire trucks to unlock the gate, causing delay. Read more »
If you’re moving to Summit County full time and have kids who need childcare, beware: Childcare is hard to come by up here.
One friend of mine who lives in Frisco had to quit her well-paying job when she couldn’t find space to enroll her infant in daycare last year. About 120 Summit County kids are on a waiting list for daycare.
Meanwhile, some daycare centers that were open a year or more ago are closed. Kinderhut, at the base of Breckenridge Peak 8 in Breckenridge, closed April, 2008, after 17 years of business. It accommodated drop-in daycare. It has been replaced by retail stores.
The good news is that the town of Breckenridge Colorado is stepping up and building a new childcare center, called the Timberline Learning Center, scheduled to open Aug. 1, 2008. It should be able to take care of 68 kids. The bad news is that during the needs assessment the town did, it discovered two facilities, not just one, would be necessary to meet the community’s needs. For more information on Timberline, e-mail: info@timberlinelearningcenter.com.
Another daycare center that used to help local parents that has remained closed for more than a year is the Pumpkin Patch at Copper Mountain. In April 2007, it closed, after allegations that employees put unlit cigarettes in infants’ mouths and took pictures. Criminal charges were not filed, but the center hasn’t reopened since its licensure suspension. Copper Mountain is looking for other childcare providers to partner with and is holding the space vacant for the day another facility opens. The Belly Button Bakery remains operational for short-term daycare for tourists during the winter.
On Tuesday, July 8, drivers had a rude awakening: The Dillon Dam Road, which connects Dillon to Frisco, was closed, not just for construction or a rockslide, but for good.
Denver Water officials closed the Dam Road “indefinitely,†without even warning local officials. Emergency services often use the road and only had a matter of hours to  figure out other options to travel quickly between Dillon and Frisco. Needless to say, at least one Summit County official had some choice words that aren’t suitable for print.
The Summit Daily reported that Denver water commissioner Penfield Tate said the water board wasn’t aware of an imminent threat, but Read more »
