Carbondale

Aspen Public Radio’s reporting project Rocky Mountain Why? starts with what you’re curious about when it comes to life in the Roaring Fork Valley. You submit questions, then our news team does the digging and shares the answers with our community.

Listener Esmeralda Osorio asked, “Is Mount Sopris a volcano or not?”

Carbondale is one of many towns in Colorado putting plans in place to help local businesses adjust to the economic effects of COVID-19. The town closed Carbondale’s Main Street between Third and Fourth streets so businesses can give customers space to safely shop and dine. 

Some local business owners said the closure is helping, while others said it is bad for business.

Carbondale’s Mountain Fair typically draws hundreds of spectators, vendors, artisans, artists and musicians to Sopris Park each summer. Due to ongoing concerns surrounding COVID-19, organizers say they're bringing this festivities into individual neighborhoods for this year's event, planned for July 24-26.

As schools everywhere are faced with the dilemma of cancelling summer programs amid the pandemic, ‘High School, High Scholar,’  known as '(HS)2' at Colorado Rocky Mountain School, or CRMS, in Carbondale is going virtual. 

Earlier this week, Carbondale officials launched a campaign encouraging residents to wear face coverings in public due to COVID-19. 

Carbondale is moving forward with plans to reduce traffic and improve bike and pedestrian access on 8th Street, which intersects Main Street near the end of downtown. The town says people raised concerns about narrow sidewalks and limited access for bikes on a street with plenty of car traffic in residential areas.

The Town of Carbondale will start working to reduce the use and sales of single-use plastics over the next ten years. 

The town’s Board of Trustees is working with consulting company LBA Associates. The company will conduct research and public outreach in collaboration with PR Studios to draft a plan by July 2020. 

Tuesday night, the Carbondale Board of Trustees was presented with a year-end rundown of accomplishments by Clean Energy Economy for the Region (CLEER). The Carbondale-based organization collaborates with the Town of Carbondale and Garfield County to assist in the adoption of renewable energy.

Columbus Day has become more controversial, with some arguing that the Italian explorer represents violence suffered by native people when the Americas were colonized. Carbondale will join other cities and states in celebrating Indigenous Peoples’ Day instead. 

A game that combines badminton, ping pong, and tennis has put racquet sports in quite a pickle.

That’s pickleball, one of the fastest growing sports in the country.

It’s played on a miniature tennis court with oversized ping pong paddles and something kind of like a whiffle ball, and it's making an impact on the Roaring Fork Valley.

We-Cycle’s bike share system is already in Aspen and Basalt.  Now, it wants to expand to Carbondale. At a work session last week, the town took a step toward making that happen.  

Carbondale granted We-Cycle’s request to include a $30,000 placeholder in their 2020 draft budget.  We-Cycle asked for the placeholder to help it raise the rest of the money needed to place its bikes throughout the town. 

On Tuesday, Carbondale’s Board of Trustees got behind the effort to make Carbondale more livable for seniors.

The Carbondale Age-Friendly Communities Initiative (CAFCI) is made up of local seniors; members packed Town Hall earlier this week to encourage the town to join a network of communities through AARP.

Carbondale’s Environmental Board wants the town’s trustees to ban single-use plastic bags from all town businesses.

The Environmental Board cites a 2016 survey in which the respondents overwhelmingly favored banning single-use plastic bags.

Twice a year, the Drug Enforcement Agency (DEA) has a National Prescription Drug Take-Back Day. The next one is Saturday, from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m.

Anyone in the valley can take unused prescription drugs to the Carbondale Police Department, which will dispose of them safely.

CoVenture is a new business incubator in Carbondale; the town and Garfield County have promised $25,000 to help it get off its feet. They hope CoVenture can catalyze economic diversification.

Carbondale wants one company to haul away most of its trash and recycling. Starting Friday, the town is accepting proposals.

The new business incubator, CoVenture, wants to develop a coworking space in downtown Carbondale and is asking the town to commit $25,000 to help make it happen.

On Tuesday, the Board of Trustees discussed where the town stands, financially speaking, and where it’s headed. In 2019, the town doesn’t expect any increase in marijuana sales and excise taxes, but does anticipate slight increases in sales and property tax revenue.

Childcare is hard to find in the Roaring Fork Valley. In Carbondale, some say the town’s zoning isn’t making it any easier.

On Tuesday, Carbondale’s Board of Trustees will discuss how the town might regulate electronic smoking devices.

Artspace is a nonprofit that looks at the feasibility of building affordable spaces for a community’s arts and culture sector. Last week, it gave the town of Carbondale its recommendations on creating more housing for artists.  

Voters in Basalt and Carbondale have until 7 p.m. to drop off their ballots.