Local Farmers Look for More Local Sales
There’s an effort to make it easier for local farmers to grow food and get it to buyers in the Roaring Fork Valley. A group working on that issue is trying to get farmers to be part of a Valley-wide registry.
The Roaring Fork Food Policy Council is nailing down what growers need the most, and they’re starting by putting together a directory. Gwen Garcelon is Director. She says so far the most common complaint from farmers is getting access to land which can be expensive.
“Farming is inherently hard work. But we’ve got to find a way to make it work in a sustainable way as a lifestyle for people.”
Garcelon says affordable leases, like some available on Pitkin County Open Space land, are a good way to tackle the problem. Ultimately the council aims to put together something called a food hub- a physical location that can help farmers expand their business, find new buyers, or better work with other producers.
Aspen Airport Looks to Reduce Wait Times
Officials at the Aspen Pitkin County Airport say they are working on how to handle lines during the busy holiday travel season. Officials say they are coordinating with the TSA and airlines to best expedite people through the screening process and onto their flights. The big issue is the small secure waiting area that can only hold 316 people. If flights get delayed or people miss their boarding because of a slow screening process, airport officials say some travelers might have to wait in the unsecured area and have to be checked again. That’s something the Aspen Pitkin County Airport is working to keep from happening during the busy holiday season. So, in order to make sure the screening and boarding process goes smoothly, airport officials advise travelers to arrive two hours ahead of their departure time.
Aspen City Council to Consider New Lodging Incentives
The Aspen City Council is taking another look at how to improve lodging in town. The special meeting comes after public outcry over a previous attempt.
City Council will consider suggestions from city planners, who have held public meetings and taken other steps to get public feedback. City Council has wanted since 2012 to to boost hotel and motel beds. Changes passed in August were thrown out after community members disagreed with it.
Of residents surveyed about the issue, nearly seventy percent believe Aspen’s lodging issue is a problem. Overall about eighty percent participants say see the City as playing a role in shoring up hotel and overnight condominium beds. It’s possible for the City Council members to decline all proposed options tonight, and go back to the drawing board.
Garfield Co. to Inform BLM on Haul Routes for Thompson Divide
The Garfield County Commissioners are suggesting alternate haul routes to access oil and gas leases on the contested Thompson Divide. The elected leaders will send a letter to the Bureau of Land Management.
The BLM is reviewing 65 oil and gas leases on the White River National Forest that stretch over parts of Pitkin, Garfield, Mesa and Rio Blanco Counties. The Bureau is working to determine whether the leases should be voided, reaffirmed or modified.
In their letter, the commissioners reiterate their position against using County Road 117 or “Four Mile Road” as a haul route to reach undeveloped leases on the Thompson Divide. Instead, they’ve mapped out five alternate routes for leaseholders. Under the preferred route, Commissioner Tom Jankovsky says trucks would use West Divide Creek Road and then move through Mesa County.
“There is a trail through there and there would have to be a connector back through into what’s considered Twin Peaks and the Wolf Creek unit. There’s probably a couple miles of trails and a road would have to be built in there.”
The commissioners’ stance on drilling in the Divide is to support the efforts of the Thompson Divide Coalition, which is working to get legislation passed that would protect the area from energy development.
The commissioners anticipate the BLM will look over their latest letter at its next meeting with cooperating agencies like Garfield County on December 15th.
