Posted by:
Erin Eddy
www.ourayland.com
www.ridgwayland.com
Cornerstone Named Best Private Course by Golf Magazine
Greg Norman Course to Host Senior Tournament
MONTROSE – The unparalleled beauty of Cornerstone’s setting atop the Uncompahgre Plateau is enough to set it apart from other mountain developments. But add to that a Greg Norman-designed golf course and be prepared for national recognition.
The January 2009 issue of Golf Magazine, currently on newsstands, has named Cornerstone the #1 Best New Private Golf Course in the country.
The 7,945-yard, par 72 course was touted by the editors at Golf Magazine as “easily the best high-altitude course in the nation, and quite possibly the world.” They called it Norman’s “finest North American project to date.” This prestigious recognition, which bested Donald Trump’s National Bedminster in New Jersey (#2), comes six months after all 18 holes were opened in July.
“This is something we are certainly proud of,” Head Golf Pro and Golf Manager Sean Tannehill said in an interview last week. “This is a golf course that is designed for everybody. My favorite thing about the course is the possibility of playing a multitude of different approaches, which enables a lot of bump and runs and a lot of great shots.”
The editors at Golf Magazine also made note of the way the course uses the natural landscape: “Purists will appreciate the tough forced carries and greens that often demand run-up approach shots, and the fast greens and shaved surrounds even things up for players of all abilities.”
The course was designed according to Norman’s well-known “least disturbance” philosophy, which curtails massive earth movement, reduces large-scale clearing and takes full advantage of the natural features on the landscape. The course covers more than 300 acres and is designed to provide golfers at all skill levels an enjoyable game.
“When Greg Norman first toured the land on snowmobile, he immediately saw the potential for the golf course and we partnered with him knowing that we had selected the best designer in the business,” said Larry Corsen, senior vice president of Hunt Realty Inc., a privately held real estate investment company, and owner and operator of Cornerstone. “We are thrilled to see our dream of Greg’s talent come to fruition and be recognized as the number one private golf course by Golf Magazine. We are truly honored to be at the top of this revered category of golf course in the United States.”
As if the #1 ranking wasn’t enough, Tannehill said that Cornerstone will be hosting the Colorado Senior Amateur Championship the first week in September.
“For us, it is a great way to get senior competitive players to play our course and to this part of Colorado,” said Tannehill. “All of these championships have always been held out on the Front Range [of Colorado] and it is a great opporunity for us.”
Members of Cornerstone have access to a 20-plus acre practice facility and some of the finest golf professionals and staff in the nation. Mark Wood has consistently been ranked one of the top 50 instructors in the country for the past 10 years, and Kathy Hart-Wood, former LPGA touring pro and also a celebrated top 50 instructor as named by Golf for Women, is director of women’s golf. Cornerstone also recently celebrated the opening of its clubhouse, which includes a casual bar and grill, outdoor dining and the Village Mercantile, featuring a golf pro shop and outfitters’ headquarters.
Written by Gus Jarvis
Saturday, December 27, 2008
35 Acres is Best?
Posted by:
Erin Eddy
www.ourayland.com
www.ridgwayland.com
December 26, 2008
Oh, the curse of the 35-acre parcel. The old ranchers' saying goes, "to small to farm, too big to mow."
Yet 35 is the magic number in Ouray County's unique and innovative Land Use Code (LUC). In both Valley and Alpine zones, where the LUC discourages development, that is the number of acres where private property owners have the right to construct a home.
The LUC is the companion document to the county's Master Plan. There, in Section A, the county's collective goal is "to encourage the continued use of lands for agricultural productivity." To date, much of that goal has been met; Ouray County's valued valleys have mostly remained with haying and cattle activities, though a few homes have sprung up at the 35 acre density.
Outgoing County Commissioner Don Batchelder warns that just because the Master Plan aspiration is being met today, that doesn't mean it won't be tomorrow.
"… there are a number of factors, economic and personal, facing a number of the smaller ranches in the county's valleys that indicate agricultural lands are at risk," writes Batchelder, in a two-page proposal titled "Incentivizing Cluster Development in the Valley Zone Through the Developer Agreement Process."
At first blush, the proposal seems to have great potential to be a win-win proposition — preventing the break-up of parcels into the undesirable 35s, and giving landowners a means to preserve the considerable value of their land. The proposal deserves a thorough hearing, and if favored by those it affects, implementation.
As Batchelder points out, ranchers are typically a tough sell when it comes to government regulation. As such, to gain buy-in, the new code would have to be fairly straight forward. He proposes:
n The density per housing unit in the Valley Zone be doubled, to 70 acres.
n Ranch owners could cluster houses under a development agreement, as long as 80% of the land remains dedicated to agriculture, and that water rights remain tied to the property.
In all, five amendments to the LUC are proposed, but Batchelder's solution to the 35-acre dilemma remains simple, and seemingly viable.
Written by: David Mullings
Erin Eddy
www.ourayland.com
www.ridgwayland.com
December 26, 2008
Oh, the curse of the 35-acre parcel. The old ranchers' saying goes, "to small to farm, too big to mow."
Yet 35 is the magic number in Ouray County's unique and innovative Land Use Code (LUC). In both Valley and Alpine zones, where the LUC discourages development, that is the number of acres where private property owners have the right to construct a home.
The LUC is the companion document to the county's Master Plan. There, in Section A, the county's collective goal is "to encourage the continued use of lands for agricultural productivity." To date, much of that goal has been met; Ouray County's valued valleys have mostly remained with haying and cattle activities, though a few homes have sprung up at the 35 acre density.
Outgoing County Commissioner Don Batchelder warns that just because the Master Plan aspiration is being met today, that doesn't mean it won't be tomorrow.
"… there are a number of factors, economic and personal, facing a number of the smaller ranches in the county's valleys that indicate agricultural lands are at risk," writes Batchelder, in a two-page proposal titled "Incentivizing Cluster Development in the Valley Zone Through the Developer Agreement Process."
At first blush, the proposal seems to have great potential to be a win-win proposition — preventing the break-up of parcels into the undesirable 35s, and giving landowners a means to preserve the considerable value of their land. The proposal deserves a thorough hearing, and if favored by those it affects, implementation.
As Batchelder points out, ranchers are typically a tough sell when it comes to government regulation. As such, to gain buy-in, the new code would have to be fairly straight forward. He proposes:
n The density per housing unit in the Valley Zone be doubled, to 70 acres.
n Ranch owners could cluster houses under a development agreement, as long as 80% of the land remains dedicated to agriculture, and that water rights remain tied to the property.
In all, five amendments to the LUC are proposed, but Batchelder's solution to the 35-acre dilemma remains simple, and seemingly viable.
Written by: David Mullings
Saturday, December 20, 2008
Protecting Ridgway Colorado in Ouray County
Posted by Erin Eddy
www.ourayland.com
www.ridgwayland.com
Written by:
Christopher Pike
December 19, 2008
OURAY — Before he leaves office next month, Don Batchelder wants to address an issue he believes is important for the future of ranching in Ouray County.
The issue: Incentives for the preservation of ranch lands and, in tandem, keeping water rights with those lands in the county.
"The county hasn't done anything in preserving those facets of the Master Plan," said Batchelder at Monday's Board of County Commissioners meeting. "There is potential for losing some of the ranch lands in the valleys, with only the potential for breaking those tracts into 35s."
Batchelder believes that the Ouray County Master Plan's goal of "encouraging the continued use of lands for agricultural productivity" will not be met without larger tracts being protected from non-ag uses, including housing development.
"The tendency in land use issues is to assume that what exists is how things will remain. However, there are a number of factors, economic and personal, facing a number of smaller ranches in the county's valleys that indicate agricultural lands are at risk," said Batchelder in a two-page white paper titled, "Incentivizing Cluster Development in the Valley Zone through the Development Agreement Process."
The current code, Batchelder points out, "does nothing" to prevent the subdivision of agricultural land into 35-acre parcels and by state law there is no governmental review of these property divisions. And, he adds, the county's Land Use Code does nothing to keep water rights in the county.
With land prices being as high as they are, 35-acre parcels have become the target for non-agricultural development, be it straight-ahead commercial, recreational or industrial, Batchelder said. "Ranchers have a saying about 35-acre lots: 'too small to farm and too big for a lawn'."
The catch is finding an incentive for property owners to preserve productive ag land without diminishing the land's value and to keeping land from being separated from water rights, which ultimately results in land being more conducive for subdivision development — not agriculture.
Regulation alone will not suffice, noted Batchelder.
"Ranchers are typically no-nonsense, self-employed business people with distaste for government regulation. The proposal needs to be understandable, simple, straightforward, and not burdened by unnecessary bureaucratic process."
Batchelder's proposal will be discussed informally at the BOCC's Dec. 22 meeting. One key component is to set maximum densities "except for property divided in accordance with a development agreement." The landowner would have to reciprocate, however, by restricting use of the parcel to agriculture uses, keeping the water rights on the land, and locating any home or homes in a clustered fashion.
www.ourayland.com
www.ridgwayland.com
Written by:
Christopher Pike
December 19, 2008
OURAY — Before he leaves office next month, Don Batchelder wants to address an issue he believes is important for the future of ranching in Ouray County.
The issue: Incentives for the preservation of ranch lands and, in tandem, keeping water rights with those lands in the county.
"The county hasn't done anything in preserving those facets of the Master Plan," said Batchelder at Monday's Board of County Commissioners meeting. "There is potential for losing some of the ranch lands in the valleys, with only the potential for breaking those tracts into 35s."
Batchelder believes that the Ouray County Master Plan's goal of "encouraging the continued use of lands for agricultural productivity" will not be met without larger tracts being protected from non-ag uses, including housing development.
"The tendency in land use issues is to assume that what exists is how things will remain. However, there are a number of factors, economic and personal, facing a number of smaller ranches in the county's valleys that indicate agricultural lands are at risk," said Batchelder in a two-page white paper titled, "Incentivizing Cluster Development in the Valley Zone through the Development Agreement Process."
The current code, Batchelder points out, "does nothing" to prevent the subdivision of agricultural land into 35-acre parcels and by state law there is no governmental review of these property divisions. And, he adds, the county's Land Use Code does nothing to keep water rights in the county.
With land prices being as high as they are, 35-acre parcels have become the target for non-agricultural development, be it straight-ahead commercial, recreational or industrial, Batchelder said. "Ranchers have a saying about 35-acre lots: 'too small to farm and too big for a lawn'."
The catch is finding an incentive for property owners to preserve productive ag land without diminishing the land's value and to keeping land from being separated from water rights, which ultimately results in land being more conducive for subdivision development — not agriculture.
Regulation alone will not suffice, noted Batchelder.
"Ranchers are typically no-nonsense, self-employed business people with distaste for government regulation. The proposal needs to be understandable, simple, straightforward, and not burdened by unnecessary bureaucratic process."
Batchelder's proposal will be discussed informally at the BOCC's Dec. 22 meeting. One key component is to set maximum densities "except for property divided in accordance with a development agreement." The landowner would have to reciprocate, however, by restricting use of the parcel to agriculture uses, keeping the water rights on the land, and locating any home or homes in a clustered fashion.
Sunday, December 14, 2008
Ridgway Colorado Real Estate Foreclosures
Posted by: Erin Eddy
www.ourayland.com
www.ridgwayland.com
December 05, 2008
Written By - Christopher Pike
Real estate foreclosures are up and tax lien sales have increased substantially this year in Ouray County and surrounding counties.
Reports from three county treasurers indicate a slump in the region's real estate economy.
"We have eight current foreclosures right now, getting two or three over the past few weeks," Ouray County Treasurer Jeanne Casolari reported two weeks ago to the Board of County Commissioners.
Casolari said Monday Ouray County has received nine foreclosures as of Dec. 1; there were seven total foreclosures for all of 2007.
Casolari said there were 88 parcels subject to the 2008 tax lien sale conducted by the treasurer's office in early November, which recovered $185,084 in unpaid tax revenues. Premiums over the amount of taxes owed amounted to $3,890.
Those figures are up by more than $100,000 from 2007 when lien sales totaled $84,079 involving 60 parcels; that amount included $5,410 in premium bids.
Montrose County Treasurer Rosemary Murphy also said as of Dec. 1 there have been 146 foreclosures, 60 more compared to this time in 2007.
Murphy said most of the foreclosures in Montrose County involved improved properties and were situated within the city limits.
At the county's tax lien sales, Murphy said buyers bought liens of 340 properties, about 100 more than last year. Vacant lots and various subdivisions constituted the bulk of those properties, she said.
In San Miguel County there have been 34 foreclosures "so far through 2008," according to Maureen Dorka, chief deputy treasurer, which is 19 more than this time last year. That county's tax lien sale on Nov. 24 yielded $462,677.59 involving 103 properties.
That sales figure includes interest of $28,286.32, recovered advertising fees and premium bids over the amount in arrears. "That compares with 98 properties that were sold last year," said Dorka.
www.ourayland.com
www.ridgwayland.com
December 05, 2008
Written By - Christopher Pike
Real estate foreclosures are up and tax lien sales have increased substantially this year in Ouray County and surrounding counties.
Reports from three county treasurers indicate a slump in the region's real estate economy.
"We have eight current foreclosures right now, getting two or three over the past few weeks," Ouray County Treasurer Jeanne Casolari reported two weeks ago to the Board of County Commissioners.
Casolari said Monday Ouray County has received nine foreclosures as of Dec. 1; there were seven total foreclosures for all of 2007.
Casolari said there were 88 parcels subject to the 2008 tax lien sale conducted by the treasurer's office in early November, which recovered $185,084 in unpaid tax revenues. Premiums over the amount of taxes owed amounted to $3,890.
Those figures are up by more than $100,000 from 2007 when lien sales totaled $84,079 involving 60 parcels; that amount included $5,410 in premium bids.
Montrose County Treasurer Rosemary Murphy also said as of Dec. 1 there have been 146 foreclosures, 60 more compared to this time in 2007.
Murphy said most of the foreclosures in Montrose County involved improved properties and were situated within the city limits.
At the county's tax lien sales, Murphy said buyers bought liens of 340 properties, about 100 more than last year. Vacant lots and various subdivisions constituted the bulk of those properties, she said.
In San Miguel County there have been 34 foreclosures "so far through 2008," according to Maureen Dorka, chief deputy treasurer, which is 19 more than this time last year. That county's tax lien sale on Nov. 24 yielded $462,677.59 involving 103 properties.
That sales figure includes interest of $28,286.32, recovered advertising fees and premium bids over the amount in arrears. "That compares with 98 properties that were sold last year," said Dorka.
Friday, November 28, 2008
Ridgway Colorado Schools
Posted by:
Erin Eddy
www.ridgwayland.com
November 19, 2008
We're just more than halfway through November, hurtling headlong into the hectic holiday season, and it's been quite a newsmaking month for the Ridgway School District.
First, the ballot box results came late on the night of Nov. 4, and for the mil levy override question that would provide funding for the new gymnasium and music room. Hurrah, it was good news: Approval by a margin of 968-639.
So after years of planning, looking for a site, getting an original property tax measure passed and having the gym facilities fall casualty to unforeseen cost hikes, we will now get to see the needed school expansion progress through to completion.
To all who have dedicated the countless (and mostly, unpaid) hours toward building facilities that match the district's aspiration for excellence, three words — congratulations, and thank you.
The other school news in recent weeks involves top-level leadership for the district.
First, Superintendent Douglas Bissonette announced (actually on Halloween) he would be stepping down at the end of the school year.
On the heels of that announcement, the School Board unanimously voted to appoint a familiar face, that of Don Batchelder, to the vacant fifth board seat. Bissonette accurately states that he will leave Ridgway Schools in very good shape.
"Students receive an outstanding education from caring and talented teachers, the schools are led by strong principals with a clear, student-oriented vision, the district is in strong financial condition, and Ridgway's reputation locally and around the state is exceptional," Bissonette wrote in his resignation letter.
As any current observer knows, Bissonette's leadership of the district has been not been without its critics or controversy. With the support of his board, he was not timid in making changes in the faculty where he thought they were warranted. And several of those ignited emotional protests and discord in the community.
Bissonette noted that his tenure was of six years, twice the state average for school superintendents. Those short job spans indicate that the top administrative post of any school system is among the most challenging anywhere. Superintendents must answer to a politically-elected board, manage other administrators and teachers, crunch numbers into a working budget, and oh, know a thing or two about education. Just may be the toughest job in town.
Our hat's off to Bisonette for taking on those challenges with a can-do attitude.
His pending departure was a direct factor in the selection of Batchelder back to the School Board.
That Batchelder, the former mayor, town manager and current county commissioner, is a good choice should go without saying. Indeed, the employment of the best qualified superintendent is likely the board's biggest responsibility. Batchelder's long background in working both as an elected official and as a paid administrator will contribute greatly to finding Bissonette's successor, and that he or she be best suited for the job.
The appointment keeps Batchelder, whose eight years on the Board of County Commissioners ends in January, in an official public capacity. Which begs the question: What's next for him next November, when the School Board appointment ends?
— David Mullings
Erin Eddy
www.ridgwayland.com
November 19, 2008
We're just more than halfway through November, hurtling headlong into the hectic holiday season, and it's been quite a newsmaking month for the Ridgway School District.
First, the ballot box results came late on the night of Nov. 4, and for the mil levy override question that would provide funding for the new gymnasium and music room. Hurrah, it was good news: Approval by a margin of 968-639.
So after years of planning, looking for a site, getting an original property tax measure passed and having the gym facilities fall casualty to unforeseen cost hikes, we will now get to see the needed school expansion progress through to completion.
To all who have dedicated the countless (and mostly, unpaid) hours toward building facilities that match the district's aspiration for excellence, three words — congratulations, and thank you.
The other school news in recent weeks involves top-level leadership for the district.
First, Superintendent Douglas Bissonette announced (actually on Halloween) he would be stepping down at the end of the school year.
On the heels of that announcement, the School Board unanimously voted to appoint a familiar face, that of Don Batchelder, to the vacant fifth board seat. Bissonette accurately states that he will leave Ridgway Schools in very good shape.
"Students receive an outstanding education from caring and talented teachers, the schools are led by strong principals with a clear, student-oriented vision, the district is in strong financial condition, and Ridgway's reputation locally and around the state is exceptional," Bissonette wrote in his resignation letter.
As any current observer knows, Bissonette's leadership of the district has been not been without its critics or controversy. With the support of his board, he was not timid in making changes in the faculty where he thought they were warranted. And several of those ignited emotional protests and discord in the community.
Bissonette noted that his tenure was of six years, twice the state average for school superintendents. Those short job spans indicate that the top administrative post of any school system is among the most challenging anywhere. Superintendents must answer to a politically-elected board, manage other administrators and teachers, crunch numbers into a working budget, and oh, know a thing or two about education. Just may be the toughest job in town.
Our hat's off to Bisonette for taking on those challenges with a can-do attitude.
His pending departure was a direct factor in the selection of Batchelder back to the School Board.
That Batchelder, the former mayor, town manager and current county commissioner, is a good choice should go without saying. Indeed, the employment of the best qualified superintendent is likely the board's biggest responsibility. Batchelder's long background in working both as an elected official and as a paid administrator will contribute greatly to finding Bissonette's successor, and that he or she be best suited for the job.
The appointment keeps Batchelder, whose eight years on the Board of County Commissioners ends in January, in an official public capacity. Which begs the question: What's next for him next November, when the School Board appointment ends?
— David Mullings
Friday, November 21, 2008
Water call in Ridgway
Posted by Erin Eddy
www.ourayland.com
www.ridgwayland.com
November 21, 2008
Written by:
Samantha Tisdel Wright
Thirsty desert cities like Phoenix, Las Vegas, and Los Angeles could conceivably leave Ouray County high and dry, if proper action is not taken to protect water rights, attorney Andy Mueller warned the Ouray City Council this week.
"All kinds of rights are subject to being cut off," Mueller said, "even municipal rights."
Mueller is Ouray County's representative on the Colorado River Water Conservation District (CRWCD) Board, which since 1937 has been protecting Western Colorado water on behalf of the more than 500,000 Coloradoans who live on the western side of the Continental Divide.
The Colorado River, the vena cava of the American West into which much of the snowpack and springwater of the San Juan Mountains eventually drains, meanders its way through seven states before (just barely) making it across the border into Mexico and the Gulf of California.
It's water is divvied up according to two "Colorado River Compacts" dating back to 1922 and 1948.
In 2007, the Colorado State Legislature commissioned a study to determine just how much of our namesake river's water is left to develop.
"The study goes to the heart of a Colorado River District concern that the Colorado River basin not fall under a compact call," wrote board president Peter Kasper in the district's annual report, "whereby Colorado might have to cut back on its water use in order to meet water delivery obligations to other states downstream."
Thus far, the Colorado River Basin, to which the Uncompaghre River is a tributary, has remained free from a dread compact call.
"And we want to keep it that way through good planning that acknowledges that there is a finite water supply," Kasper emphasized.
Downstream Colorado River states would like nothing better than to open up the compacts for renegotiation, but Utah, Wyoming, Colorado and New Mexico, with their much smaller populations and political clout, are "afraid we would get run over," if that ever happened, Mueller said.
Even with good planning, climate change and urban sprawl are growing threats to upstream water users in the Colorado River Basin.
The affects of climate change are already beginning to manifest in a shorter run-off season, which impacts the flow of the river and the people who depend upon it downstream. The Colorado River Water Conservation District Board has been actively generating innovative ideas, such as water banking and planned fallowing to help up-stream water users get through dry years without triggering a compact curtailment.
"We can't turn fire hydrants off," Mueller said. "Cities will be looking at alternative ways to augment their water rights. They could, for example, buy up ranch land with pre-1922 rights and then let that water flow to Lake Powell, to make up for the water they take at the headwaters."
It's not just the cities downstream in the Colorado River watershed that have cast a larcenous eye upon the pristine water of the San Juans. Sprawling Front Range Colorado communities are equally thirsty and greedy, often exhibiting what Mueller called a "buy it and dry it" mentality when it come to water rights.
This spectre could loom for Western Slope communities like Ouray and Ridgway if protective action is not taken, Mueller warned. "It's a huge issue that will take years for a solution. And it has the potential to impact the county."
Only once in the recent past has Ouray's water been subject to call. That was during the drought of 2002. If the letter of the law had been explicitely followed at that time, Mueller said, the city should have stopped the diversion of Weehawken Spring, its sole municipal water source.
City Council and staff have been actively addressing the issue of water rights in recent months and have hired Wright Water Engineering to conduct an inventory of the city's water rights and options for augmentation.
www.ourayland.com
www.ridgwayland.com
November 21, 2008
Written by:
Samantha Tisdel Wright
Thirsty desert cities like Phoenix, Las Vegas, and Los Angeles could conceivably leave Ouray County high and dry, if proper action is not taken to protect water rights, attorney Andy Mueller warned the Ouray City Council this week.
"All kinds of rights are subject to being cut off," Mueller said, "even municipal rights."
Mueller is Ouray County's representative on the Colorado River Water Conservation District (CRWCD) Board, which since 1937 has been protecting Western Colorado water on behalf of the more than 500,000 Coloradoans who live on the western side of the Continental Divide.
The Colorado River, the vena cava of the American West into which much of the snowpack and springwater of the San Juan Mountains eventually drains, meanders its way through seven states before (just barely) making it across the border into Mexico and the Gulf of California.
It's water is divvied up according to two "Colorado River Compacts" dating back to 1922 and 1948.
In 2007, the Colorado State Legislature commissioned a study to determine just how much of our namesake river's water is left to develop.
"The study goes to the heart of a Colorado River District concern that the Colorado River basin not fall under a compact call," wrote board president Peter Kasper in the district's annual report, "whereby Colorado might have to cut back on its water use in order to meet water delivery obligations to other states downstream."
Thus far, the Colorado River Basin, to which the Uncompaghre River is a tributary, has remained free from a dread compact call.
"And we want to keep it that way through good planning that acknowledges that there is a finite water supply," Kasper emphasized.
Downstream Colorado River states would like nothing better than to open up the compacts for renegotiation, but Utah, Wyoming, Colorado and New Mexico, with their much smaller populations and political clout, are "afraid we would get run over," if that ever happened, Mueller said.
Even with good planning, climate change and urban sprawl are growing threats to upstream water users in the Colorado River Basin.
The affects of climate change are already beginning to manifest in a shorter run-off season, which impacts the flow of the river and the people who depend upon it downstream. The Colorado River Water Conservation District Board has been actively generating innovative ideas, such as water banking and planned fallowing to help up-stream water users get through dry years without triggering a compact curtailment.
"We can't turn fire hydrants off," Mueller said. "Cities will be looking at alternative ways to augment their water rights. They could, for example, buy up ranch land with pre-1922 rights and then let that water flow to Lake Powell, to make up for the water they take at the headwaters."
It's not just the cities downstream in the Colorado River watershed that have cast a larcenous eye upon the pristine water of the San Juans. Sprawling Front Range Colorado communities are equally thirsty and greedy, often exhibiting what Mueller called a "buy it and dry it" mentality when it come to water rights.
This spectre could loom for Western Slope communities like Ouray and Ridgway if protective action is not taken, Mueller warned. "It's a huge issue that will take years for a solution. And it has the potential to impact the county."
Only once in the recent past has Ouray's water been subject to call. That was during the drought of 2002. If the letter of the law had been explicitely followed at that time, Mueller said, the city should have stopped the diversion of Weehawken Spring, its sole municipal water source.
City Council and staff have been actively addressing the issue of water rights in recent months and have hired Wright Water Engineering to conduct an inventory of the city's water rights and options for augmentation.
Saturday, November 15, 2008
Land use fee increase in Ridgway Colorado
Posted by:
Erin Eddy
www.ourayland.com
www.ridgwayland.com
Written by: Patrick Davarn
November 14, 2008
RIDGWAY — Agreeing with the county staff that it is "long overdue," county commissioners will raise some of the fees charged by the Land Use Department in time for the new year.
Mark Castrodale, interim county planner, said after consensus by the Board of County Commissioners that he will have a comprehensive fee schedule prepared by early December for consideration of adoption by resolution.
Castrodale presented an analysis of fees charged by the Land Use Department for various processes; not including building permit fees. "My records show … fees have not been reviewed or modified since 2004 … we appear to be grossly undercharging for some of our services," Castrodale wrote.
Castrodale explained to the BOCC on Monday that he used his salary's hourly rate and calculated the amount of time necessary for him to process various services – ranging from sketch plans to final plats – then reduced the total by one-third to propose a fee's rate. "The issue, in general, is that it's been long overdue," he said."I tried to be hugely conservative."
For example, Castrodale said current fees for a limited planned unit development (PUD) of three lots or less are $750 for a sketch plan, $750 for a preliminary development plan, and $250 for a final development plan. He proposes raising the preliminary development plan fee to $1,500 and the final development plan to $500 in addition to establishing a $250 fee for the final plat. During the process of estimating new fees for Ouray County, Castrodale said he called Montrose County for a comparison. For these same four services, Montrose County will charge a total of $6,445. "We are subsidizing development," said Castrodale.
BOCC Chairman Keith Meinert said an increase is needed, especially in comparison to Montrose County, but asked if higher fees could be charged at the end of a project when a developer is more certain of a successful outcome. "I agree that it's time consuming," Meinert said, "but I wonder if front-end costs would be so high it might discourage people from trying."
Castrodale said the bulk of work by Land Use staff is "front-end loaded" and requires the same amount of time whether the project is successful or not. He would prefer to deal with those "isolated situations" of projects that are unsuccessful, or withdrawn, on a case-by-case basis.
Commissioner Heidi Albritton backed Castrodale's reasoning. "If they (developers) are working with staff, there is no reason it shouldn't go through," she said. "The hand-holding and direction takes place at the beginning. No outcome is guaranteed. If they choose to go through with a plan despite advice of staff, it's not Mark's problem. We need to get on a proactive track and keep up with the times."
Commissioner Don Batchelder likewise agreed the fee review is long overdue, saying he first asked about it six years ago. "Let's say Mark's ideas are good and take them at face value," said Batchelder. "I think your (proposed) fees are low. You took off one-third, you should have added 50% more and it probably still would not have covered the costs."
Erin Eddy
www.ourayland.com
www.ridgwayland.com
Written by: Patrick Davarn
November 14, 2008
RIDGWAY — Agreeing with the county staff that it is "long overdue," county commissioners will raise some of the fees charged by the Land Use Department in time for the new year.
Mark Castrodale, interim county planner, said after consensus by the Board of County Commissioners that he will have a comprehensive fee schedule prepared by early December for consideration of adoption by resolution.
Castrodale presented an analysis of fees charged by the Land Use Department for various processes; not including building permit fees. "My records show … fees have not been reviewed or modified since 2004 … we appear to be grossly undercharging for some of our services," Castrodale wrote.
Castrodale explained to the BOCC on Monday that he used his salary's hourly rate and calculated the amount of time necessary for him to process various services – ranging from sketch plans to final plats – then reduced the total by one-third to propose a fee's rate. "The issue, in general, is that it's been long overdue," he said."I tried to be hugely conservative."
For example, Castrodale said current fees for a limited planned unit development (PUD) of three lots or less are $750 for a sketch plan, $750 for a preliminary development plan, and $250 for a final development plan. He proposes raising the preliminary development plan fee to $1,500 and the final development plan to $500 in addition to establishing a $250 fee for the final plat. During the process of estimating new fees for Ouray County, Castrodale said he called Montrose County for a comparison. For these same four services, Montrose County will charge a total of $6,445. "We are subsidizing development," said Castrodale.
BOCC Chairman Keith Meinert said an increase is needed, especially in comparison to Montrose County, but asked if higher fees could be charged at the end of a project when a developer is more certain of a successful outcome. "I agree that it's time consuming," Meinert said, "but I wonder if front-end costs would be so high it might discourage people from trying."
Castrodale said the bulk of work by Land Use staff is "front-end loaded" and requires the same amount of time whether the project is successful or not. He would prefer to deal with those "isolated situations" of projects that are unsuccessful, or withdrawn, on a case-by-case basis.
Commissioner Heidi Albritton backed Castrodale's reasoning. "If they (developers) are working with staff, there is no reason it shouldn't go through," she said. "The hand-holding and direction takes place at the beginning. No outcome is guaranteed. If they choose to go through with a plan despite advice of staff, it's not Mark's problem. We need to get on a proactive track and keep up with the times."
Commissioner Don Batchelder likewise agreed the fee review is long overdue, saying he first asked about it six years ago. "Let's say Mark's ideas are good and take them at face value," said Batchelder. "I think your (proposed) fees are low. You took off one-third, you should have added 50% more and it probably still would not have covered the costs."
Wednesday, November 12, 2008
Ridgway and Ouray development fees
Posted by Erin Eddy
www.ourayland.com
www.ridgwayland.com
November 12, 2008
Agreeing with the county staff that it is "long overdue," county commissioners will raise some of the fees charged by the Land Use Department in time for the new year.
Mark Castrodale, interim county planner, said after consensus by the Board of County Commissioners that he will have a comprehensive fee schedule prepared by early December for consideration of adoption by resolution.
Castrodale presented to the BOCC an analysis of current fees charged by the Land Use Department for various processes; not including building permit fees. "My records show … fees have not been reviewed or modified since 2004 … we appear to be grossly undercharging for some of our services," Castrodale wrote in a memo.
Castrodale explained to the BOCC on Monday that he used his salary's hourly rate and calculated the amount of time necessary for him to process various services – ranging from sketch plans to final plats – then reduced the total by one-third to propose a fee's rate.
"The issue, in general, is that it's been long overdue," he said."I tried to be hugely conservative."
For example, Castrodale said current fees for a limited planned unit development (PUD) of three lots or less are $750 for a sketch plan, $750 for a preliminary development plan, and $250 for a final development plan. He proposes raising the preliminary development plan fee to $1,500 and the final development plan to $500 in addition to establishing a $250 fee for the final plat. During the process of estimating new fees for Ouray County, Castrodale said he called Montrose County for a comparison. For these same four services, Montrose County will charge a total of $6,445.
"We are subsidizing development," said Castrodale. "Our current rates do not even cover my time."
BOCC Chairman Keith Meinert agreed that an increase in fees are needed, especially in comparison to Montrose County. but asked if higher fees could be charged at the end of a project when a developer is more certain of a successful outcome. "I agree that it's time consuming," Meinert said, "but I wonder if front-end costs would be so high it might discourage people from trying."
Castrodale said the bulk of work by Land Use staff is "front-end loaded" and requires the same amount of time whether the project is successful or not. He would prefer to deal with those "isolated situations" of projects that are unsuccessful, or withdrawn, on a case-by-case basis.
Commissioner Heidi Albritton backed Castrodale's reasoning. "If they (developers) are working with staff, there is no reason it shouldn't go through," Albritton said. "The hand-holding and direction takes place at the beginning of the process. No outcome is guaranteed. If they choose to go through with a plan despite the advice of staff, it's not Mark's problem. We need to get on a proactive track and keep up with the times."
Commissioner Don Batchelder likewise agreed the fee review is long overdue, saying he first asked about it six years ago. "Let's say Mark's ideas are good and take them at face value," said Batchelder. "I think your (proposed) fees are low. You took off one-third, you should have added 50% more and it probably still would not have covered the costs."
Meinert said the revised fees are a "step in the right direction." Fellow commissioners, and Castrodale, agreed with his suggestion that Castrodale define his simple review and complex review fees for a development site inspection in line with zones established in 2002 for assigning or verifying addresses and inspecting driveways. Zone 1 is six miles from the Land Use Office in Ridgway while zone 2 is 12 miles and zone 3 is more than 12 miles travel.
Recommended changes in fees are in the categories of limited PUD (three lots or less); regular PUD (more than three lots); a recreation/resort PUD; boundary line adjustment; appeals to the Board of Zoning Adjustment (variance); minor amendments to the Land Use Code; a site development permit; a plat correction; and site inspections for a weed management plan, PUD, special use permit, address verification or driveway inspection. Castrodale did not recommend any increases for a final plat amendment , a special use permit, or exemptions and exceptions allowed within the code.
— By Patrick Davarn, news editor
www.ourayland.com
www.ridgwayland.com
November 12, 2008
Agreeing with the county staff that it is "long overdue," county commissioners will raise some of the fees charged by the Land Use Department in time for the new year.
Mark Castrodale, interim county planner, said after consensus by the Board of County Commissioners that he will have a comprehensive fee schedule prepared by early December for consideration of adoption by resolution.
Castrodale presented to the BOCC an analysis of current fees charged by the Land Use Department for various processes; not including building permit fees. "My records show … fees have not been reviewed or modified since 2004 … we appear to be grossly undercharging for some of our services," Castrodale wrote in a memo.
Castrodale explained to the BOCC on Monday that he used his salary's hourly rate and calculated the amount of time necessary for him to process various services – ranging from sketch plans to final plats – then reduced the total by one-third to propose a fee's rate.
"The issue, in general, is that it's been long overdue," he said."I tried to be hugely conservative."
For example, Castrodale said current fees for a limited planned unit development (PUD) of three lots or less are $750 for a sketch plan, $750 for a preliminary development plan, and $250 for a final development plan. He proposes raising the preliminary development plan fee to $1,500 and the final development plan to $500 in addition to establishing a $250 fee for the final plat. During the process of estimating new fees for Ouray County, Castrodale said he called Montrose County for a comparison. For these same four services, Montrose County will charge a total of $6,445.
"We are subsidizing development," said Castrodale. "Our current rates do not even cover my time."
BOCC Chairman Keith Meinert agreed that an increase in fees are needed, especially in comparison to Montrose County. but asked if higher fees could be charged at the end of a project when a developer is more certain of a successful outcome. "I agree that it's time consuming," Meinert said, "but I wonder if front-end costs would be so high it might discourage people from trying."
Castrodale said the bulk of work by Land Use staff is "front-end loaded" and requires the same amount of time whether the project is successful or not. He would prefer to deal with those "isolated situations" of projects that are unsuccessful, or withdrawn, on a case-by-case basis.
Commissioner Heidi Albritton backed Castrodale's reasoning. "If they (developers) are working with staff, there is no reason it shouldn't go through," Albritton said. "The hand-holding and direction takes place at the beginning of the process. No outcome is guaranteed. If they choose to go through with a plan despite the advice of staff, it's not Mark's problem. We need to get on a proactive track and keep up with the times."
Commissioner Don Batchelder likewise agreed the fee review is long overdue, saying he first asked about it six years ago. "Let's say Mark's ideas are good and take them at face value," said Batchelder. "I think your (proposed) fees are low. You took off one-third, you should have added 50% more and it probably still would not have covered the costs."
Meinert said the revised fees are a "step in the right direction." Fellow commissioners, and Castrodale, agreed with his suggestion that Castrodale define his simple review and complex review fees for a development site inspection in line with zones established in 2002 for assigning or verifying addresses and inspecting driveways. Zone 1 is six miles from the Land Use Office in Ridgway while zone 2 is 12 miles and zone 3 is more than 12 miles travel.
Recommended changes in fees are in the categories of limited PUD (three lots or less); regular PUD (more than three lots); a recreation/resort PUD; boundary line adjustment; appeals to the Board of Zoning Adjustment (variance); minor amendments to the Land Use Code; a site development permit; a plat correction; and site inspections for a weed management plan, PUD, special use permit, address verification or driveway inspection. Castrodale did not recommend any increases for a final plat amendment , a special use permit, or exemptions and exceptions allowed within the code.
— By Patrick Davarn, news editor
Friday, November 7, 2008
Assisted Living in Ridgway Colorado
Assisted Living Facility Proposed for Valley Zone
Written by Christopher Pike
Posted By:
Erin Eddy
www.ourayland.com
www.ridgwayland.com
Burn Rehab Center
RIDGWAY – The addition of an assisted living residence to the allowed uses in the county’s Valley Zone was considered at a public hearing on Monday, Oct. 27, with discussion centered on the exact definition of what that would be.
The request for the amendment to the Ouray County Land Use Code came from David Tabor, president of the Montrose-based Solid Rock Foundation Ministries. The ministry is considering the purchase of 102/104 Cutler Creek Drive in Ridgway, located directly adjacent to the Ponderosa Village Subdivision, for use as the Hope's Journey assisted living residence for severely burned and physically traumatized youth.
Tabor called the Valley Zone the “most logical” location for the proposed facility. “Higher elevations could be more difficult,” he said. Tabor also pointed out that there would be size limits on the facility due to existing state regulations. “This type of residence would not overtake the county,” Tabor said.
The board of county commissioners’ public hearing was prompted by the Ouray County Planning Commission’s recommendation to add the definition for “Assisted Living Residence” to section 22 and 3.4 H of the land use code. The planners also recommended that a state licensing requirement for a residential facility be added to the code.
Public input last Monday concerning the amendment was generally favorable, though a letter from the Lane family, residents of the Ponderosa Village Subdivision, stated that vehicle traffic and the general bustle of activity emanating from the proposed facility would be disruptive and would negatively impact property values.
The discussion also turned to the possibility of expanding the amendment definition to include senior citizen facilities. Citing the approval of an assisted living and nursing facility in Ouray County by a previous board of commissioners several decades ago, Ouray resident Roger Henn asked the commissioners to address the future needs of seniors, including him and his wife Angie. “We need assisted living (in Ouray County). Who would want to live in Montrose? You need that and we need it badly!” Henn’s impassioned plea received a round of applause from the 35 members of the audience.
The parameters of the definition were also on the minds of county staff and officials. County Attorney Mark Deganhart said the proposed language could potentially include a halfway house or group home, which “could open up a whole panoply of uses that might exist as ‘assisted living.’”
“What I hear is a definition and unintended consequences and not necessarily this specific application,” said Commissioner Chair Keith Meinert. “With the right definitions I don't think there is anybody that is going to object to it.”
The hearing was continued to the commissioners’ meeting held Nov. 3 to allow Commissioner Heidi Albritton, who was away on vacation last week, to participate and vote on the proposed amendment. The results of that meeting were not available at press time.
Written by Christopher Pike
Posted By:
Erin Eddy
www.ourayland.com
www.ridgwayland.com
Burn Rehab Center
RIDGWAY – The addition of an assisted living residence to the allowed uses in the county’s Valley Zone was considered at a public hearing on Monday, Oct. 27, with discussion centered on the exact definition of what that would be.
The request for the amendment to the Ouray County Land Use Code came from David Tabor, president of the Montrose-based Solid Rock Foundation Ministries. The ministry is considering the purchase of 102/104 Cutler Creek Drive in Ridgway, located directly adjacent to the Ponderosa Village Subdivision, for use as the Hope's Journey assisted living residence for severely burned and physically traumatized youth.
Tabor called the Valley Zone the “most logical” location for the proposed facility. “Higher elevations could be more difficult,” he said. Tabor also pointed out that there would be size limits on the facility due to existing state regulations. “This type of residence would not overtake the county,” Tabor said.
The board of county commissioners’ public hearing was prompted by the Ouray County Planning Commission’s recommendation to add the definition for “Assisted Living Residence” to section 22 and 3.4 H of the land use code. The planners also recommended that a state licensing requirement for a residential facility be added to the code.
Public input last Monday concerning the amendment was generally favorable, though a letter from the Lane family, residents of the Ponderosa Village Subdivision, stated that vehicle traffic and the general bustle of activity emanating from the proposed facility would be disruptive and would negatively impact property values.
The discussion also turned to the possibility of expanding the amendment definition to include senior citizen facilities. Citing the approval of an assisted living and nursing facility in Ouray County by a previous board of commissioners several decades ago, Ouray resident Roger Henn asked the commissioners to address the future needs of seniors, including him and his wife Angie. “We need assisted living (in Ouray County). Who would want to live in Montrose? You need that and we need it badly!” Henn’s impassioned plea received a round of applause from the 35 members of the audience.
The parameters of the definition were also on the minds of county staff and officials. County Attorney Mark Deganhart said the proposed language could potentially include a halfway house or group home, which “could open up a whole panoply of uses that might exist as ‘assisted living.’”
“What I hear is a definition and unintended consequences and not necessarily this specific application,” said Commissioner Chair Keith Meinert. “With the right definitions I don't think there is anybody that is going to object to it.”
The hearing was continued to the commissioners’ meeting held Nov. 3 to allow Commissioner Heidi Albritton, who was away on vacation last week, to participate and vote on the proposed amendment. The results of that meeting were not available at press time.
Saturday, November 1, 2008
Locals get er done!
Locals just get projects done
Written by David Mullings - Ouray Plaindealer
Posted by Erin Eddy
www.ourayland.com
www.ridgwayland.com
October 31, 2008
Can do.
That's probably what I like best about living in Ouray County.
Sixteen years ago, a bunch of good people got together and formed the Mount Sneffels Education Foundation. The organization, which provides innovative programs that give students here fantastic learning opportunities, thrives today. MSEF is on its way to building a self-sustaining trust.
Seven years ago, a group of folks here saw an amazing piece of publicly owned land that was going unused. They jumped through a bunch of hoops, today, we have the Top of the Pines, an outdoor camp on Miller Mesa that serves as a dynamite outdoor education facility.
Five years ago, an emergency services shuffle squeezed the Ouray Mountain Rescue Team into a single garage bay. How did the all-volunteer group respond? With the help of a legion of supporters and some county-donated land, OMRT went out and built a wonderful two-story rescue center at the Ice Park. The team gained a certificate of occupancy last week, and plans an open house to show off the facility in mid November.
Can do.
Written by David Mullings - Ouray Plaindealer
Posted by Erin Eddy
www.ourayland.com
www.ridgwayland.com
October 31, 2008
Can do.
That's probably what I like best about living in Ouray County.
Sixteen years ago, a bunch of good people got together and formed the Mount Sneffels Education Foundation. The organization, which provides innovative programs that give students here fantastic learning opportunities, thrives today. MSEF is on its way to building a self-sustaining trust.
Seven years ago, a group of folks here saw an amazing piece of publicly owned land that was going unused. They jumped through a bunch of hoops, today, we have the Top of the Pines, an outdoor camp on Miller Mesa that serves as a dynamite outdoor education facility.
Five years ago, an emergency services shuffle squeezed the Ouray Mountain Rescue Team into a single garage bay. How did the all-volunteer group respond? With the help of a legion of supporters and some county-donated land, OMRT went out and built a wonderful two-story rescue center at the Ice Park. The team gained a certificate of occupancy last week, and plans an open house to show off the facility in mid November.
Can do.
Sunday, October 26, 2008
2008 3rd Quarter End Ouray County Sold Stats
Posted by Erin Eddy
provided by
Montrose Association of REALTORS
Statistics for Ouray County Jan 1 - Sept. 30, 2008
TOTAL HOMES (includes new home sales)
Homes Sold 54
Total Price $19,456,400
Average Price $360,303
Median Price $300,000
Range in Price $25,000 - 1,200,000
COMMERCIAL PROPERTY
Units Sold 7
Total Price $1,512,800
Average Price $216,114
Median Price $185,300
Range in Price $52,500 - 623,000
VACANT LAND
Units Sold 19
Total Price $5,182,125
Average Price $272,743
Median Price $175,000
Range in Price $110,000 - 1,600,000
FARM & RANCH
Units Sold 1
Total Price $ 525,000
Average Price $ 525,000
Median Price $ 525,000
Range in Price $ 525,000
ALL PROPERTIES
Units Sold 81
Total Price $26,676,325
Average Price $329,337
Median Price $280,000
Range in Price $25,000 - 1,600,000
*This information is deemed reliable but not guaranteed.
provided by
Montrose Association of REALTORS
Statistics for Ouray County Jan 1 - Sept. 30, 2008
TOTAL HOMES (includes new home sales)
Homes Sold 54
Total Price $19,456,400
Average Price $360,303
Median Price $300,000
Range in Price $25,000 - 1,200,000
COMMERCIAL PROPERTY
Units Sold 7
Total Price $1,512,800
Average Price $216,114
Median Price $185,300
Range in Price $52,500 - 623,000
VACANT LAND
Units Sold 19
Total Price $5,182,125
Average Price $272,743
Median Price $175,000
Range in Price $110,000 - 1,600,000
FARM & RANCH
Units Sold 1
Total Price $ 525,000
Average Price $ 525,000
Median Price $ 525,000
Range in Price $ 525,000
ALL PROPERTIES
Units Sold 81
Total Price $26,676,325
Average Price $329,337
Median Price $280,000
Range in Price $25,000 - 1,600,000
*This information is deemed reliable but not guaranteed.
Saturday, October 25, 2008
Ridgway Soccer
Undefeated Ridgway High School soccer team to host regional playoff
Posted by Erin Eddy
www.ridgwayland.com
October 22, 2008
It will be a busy week and weekend for participants and fans for Ridgway High School sports.
Both the boys' soccer team and girls' volleyball team will enter their respective regional playoffs and tournaments this week
For the first time in recent memory, the Ridgway High School boys soccer team will host the first round of a region 3A contest against Aspen High School at the Solar Ranch soccer field. The game begins at 3 p.m. Wednesday, Oct. 22.
The Demons ended the season with a record of 9-1-3, undefeated in league play as they were led by coach Chuck Siefken.
The Ridgway team is now among 32 teams going into the state tournament, with Ridgway ranked 16th by the Colorado High School Activities Association. Should it defeat 17th-ranked Aspen on Wednesday afternoon, the Demons will most likely play top-ranked Colorado Springs Christian in that city on Oct. 25.
"We are definitely one of the smallest schools going into the tournament," said Ridgway Athletic Director Keith McCurdy.
The girls volleyball team, with a 7-10 record in league play, will compete in a regional shootout on Friday and Saturday, beginning at 3 p.m. (with the Ridgway game beginning most likely at 4 p.m.) at the Olathe High School gym.
The Ridgway volleyball squad is fourth-ranked in the six-team field in the Division 1A tourney.
— Douglas McDaniel, staff writer
Posted by Erin Eddy
www.ridgwayland.com
October 22, 2008
It will be a busy week and weekend for participants and fans for Ridgway High School sports.
Both the boys' soccer team and girls' volleyball team will enter their respective regional playoffs and tournaments this week
For the first time in recent memory, the Ridgway High School boys soccer team will host the first round of a region 3A contest against Aspen High School at the Solar Ranch soccer field. The game begins at 3 p.m. Wednesday, Oct. 22.
The Demons ended the season with a record of 9-1-3, undefeated in league play as they were led by coach Chuck Siefken.
The Ridgway team is now among 32 teams going into the state tournament, with Ridgway ranked 16th by the Colorado High School Activities Association. Should it defeat 17th-ranked Aspen on Wednesday afternoon, the Demons will most likely play top-ranked Colorado Springs Christian in that city on Oct. 25.
"We are definitely one of the smallest schools going into the tournament," said Ridgway Athletic Director Keith McCurdy.
The girls volleyball team, with a 7-10 record in league play, will compete in a regional shootout on Friday and Saturday, beginning at 3 p.m. (with the Ridgway game beginning most likely at 4 p.m.) at the Olathe High School gym.
The Ridgway volleyball squad is fourth-ranked in the six-team field in the Division 1A tourney.
— Douglas McDaniel, staff writer
Telluride Foreclosures
Posted by: Erin Eddy
www.ourayland.com
www.ridgwayland.com
Foreclosure Filings Up Throughout County
by Karen JamesOct 23, 2008
All Market Segments Affected
TELLURIDE – With two months remaining in the fiscal year, foreclosure filings in San Miguel County are up 47 percent compared to the 2007 year-end total, county records show.
The county has opened 28 foreclosure files since January, of which seven – or 25 percent – have occurred during the last three weeks.
The county opened a total of 19 files during fiscal year 2007.
“We’re already past last year and we’re just in the first month of the fourth quarter,” said County Treasurer, Public Trustee and Public Registrar Janice Stout. “I’m just amazed with the number we’ve had.”
Among the 19 filings in 2007, a total of six – about 32 percent – eventually sold in foreclosure auctions.
This year, two of the 28 properties have been sold at auction. Another three are scheduled to go to auction before the end of the year if they are not first withdrawn, cured or continued.
Despite the overall increase in filings, with so few sales scheduled in the next two months, 2008 foreclosure sales cannot outnumber those in 2007.
But considering that 12 foreclosure sales could take place by the end of next February if they are not somehow remedied, 2009 could run the risk of producing a bumper crop of foreclosures.
“Maybe 09 will be record sales,” Stout said.
Among this year’s 28 filings, 10 – or about 36 percent – have been withdrawn or cured. One more, a filing for the Rosewood Telluride Resort and Hotel, is on hold until further notice.
In June, Lot 129, LLC and West Galena Holdings, owned by New York City-based developer Aaron Honigman, filed for Chapter 11 Bankruptcy protection one day before the property was to appear on the auction block. As a result, a week-to-week stay of the foreclosure has been in place since then, which Stout will continue to impose until otherwise directed by the court.
Outstanding principal on the Rosewood deal, a pre-construction bridge loan, is $50 million.
“There does seem to be a rush of filings,” said Stout, adding that she believed the accelerated filing pace will continue if the economy remains in its current state.
That said, a relative few of those are likely to result in foreclosure sales if history serves as an accurate predictor.
The filings span across virtually all segments of the real estate market. They range from a fractional interest in Mountain Village with $40,000 in outstanding debt, to a Mountain Village Home against which two foreclosure filings worth a total of about $10.1 million have been made.
According to Stout, the first foreclosure was filed on a deed of trust where the home was put up as collateral to guarantee a loan to a business. The second foreclosure was filed on a mortgage on the home itself.
In between those extremes are filings for Hastings Mesa and Norwood homes, an Ice House condominium and two vacant lots in Mountain Village among others.
“It’s pretty much across the board,” Stout said.
She speculated that one reason for the steady rate of foreclosure filings over the past few weeks could be the passage of Colorado House Bill 08-1402. The bill, which took effect on Aug. 1, requires that mortgage lenders provide the direct telephone number of their loss mitigation departments, and that of the Colorado Foreclosure Hotline, to buyers in danger of being foreclosed upon at least 30 days before the relevant paperwork is filed.
Stout said she received no filings during the month of August as the law took effect, which probably created a backlog that is working itself out now.
“People that were living with a high amount of debt are going to be the first ones to go,” said Matthew Hintermeister, a real estate agent, who noted the presence of several multi-million dollar properties on the foreclosure list.
Hintermeister, past president of the Telluride Association of Realtors, speculated that when the Dow Jones Industrial Average plummeted nearly 3,000 points over three weeks toward the end of September, cash flow may have been disrupted for investors who, through margin accounts established with brokerage firms, had taken out loans using securities as collateral.
Although investors can borrow against the value of his or her securities through margin accounts, a minimum of equity must be maintained in them. If the value of the pledged securities were to fall far enough – as would likely have been the case during those tumultuous weeks – a “margin call” would require the borrower to sell off securities or deposit cash (cash that may have otherwise been paying the mortgage on a second home) or perhaps do both – in order to replenish the account equity.
The brokerage retains the right to sell the pledged securities and may not be required to consult the margin account holder before doing so, according to Investopedia.com, an investor education website owned by Forbes Media. In fact, the website goes on to state that the firm may also have the right to sell the securities before the investor has been given a chance to meet the margin call.
“It can happen incredibly fast,” Hintermeister said.
Hintermeister added that some Aspen area real estate brokers with whom he recently spoke told him that they are seeing people abandon large deposits – some worth hundreds of thousands of dollars – on projects that are still being completed.
“They’ve already told brokers that they are prepared to walk away because they don’t have the money to close,” he said.
“That’s big money to be walking away from.”
www.ourayland.com
www.ridgwayland.com
Foreclosure Filings Up Throughout County
by Karen JamesOct 23, 2008
All Market Segments Affected
TELLURIDE – With two months remaining in the fiscal year, foreclosure filings in San Miguel County are up 47 percent compared to the 2007 year-end total, county records show.
The county has opened 28 foreclosure files since January, of which seven – or 25 percent – have occurred during the last three weeks.
The county opened a total of 19 files during fiscal year 2007.
“We’re already past last year and we’re just in the first month of the fourth quarter,” said County Treasurer, Public Trustee and Public Registrar Janice Stout. “I’m just amazed with the number we’ve had.”
Among the 19 filings in 2007, a total of six – about 32 percent – eventually sold in foreclosure auctions.
This year, two of the 28 properties have been sold at auction. Another three are scheduled to go to auction before the end of the year if they are not first withdrawn, cured or continued.
Despite the overall increase in filings, with so few sales scheduled in the next two months, 2008 foreclosure sales cannot outnumber those in 2007.
But considering that 12 foreclosure sales could take place by the end of next February if they are not somehow remedied, 2009 could run the risk of producing a bumper crop of foreclosures.
“Maybe 09 will be record sales,” Stout said.
Among this year’s 28 filings, 10 – or about 36 percent – have been withdrawn or cured. One more, a filing for the Rosewood Telluride Resort and Hotel, is on hold until further notice.
In June, Lot 129, LLC and West Galena Holdings, owned by New York City-based developer Aaron Honigman, filed for Chapter 11 Bankruptcy protection one day before the property was to appear on the auction block. As a result, a week-to-week stay of the foreclosure has been in place since then, which Stout will continue to impose until otherwise directed by the court.
Outstanding principal on the Rosewood deal, a pre-construction bridge loan, is $50 million.
“There does seem to be a rush of filings,” said Stout, adding that she believed the accelerated filing pace will continue if the economy remains in its current state.
That said, a relative few of those are likely to result in foreclosure sales if history serves as an accurate predictor.
The filings span across virtually all segments of the real estate market. They range from a fractional interest in Mountain Village with $40,000 in outstanding debt, to a Mountain Village Home against which two foreclosure filings worth a total of about $10.1 million have been made.
According to Stout, the first foreclosure was filed on a deed of trust where the home was put up as collateral to guarantee a loan to a business. The second foreclosure was filed on a mortgage on the home itself.
In between those extremes are filings for Hastings Mesa and Norwood homes, an Ice House condominium and two vacant lots in Mountain Village among others.
“It’s pretty much across the board,” Stout said.
She speculated that one reason for the steady rate of foreclosure filings over the past few weeks could be the passage of Colorado House Bill 08-1402. The bill, which took effect on Aug. 1, requires that mortgage lenders provide the direct telephone number of their loss mitigation departments, and that of the Colorado Foreclosure Hotline, to buyers in danger of being foreclosed upon at least 30 days before the relevant paperwork is filed.
Stout said she received no filings during the month of August as the law took effect, which probably created a backlog that is working itself out now.
“People that were living with a high amount of debt are going to be the first ones to go,” said Matthew Hintermeister, a real estate agent, who noted the presence of several multi-million dollar properties on the foreclosure list.
Hintermeister, past president of the Telluride Association of Realtors, speculated that when the Dow Jones Industrial Average plummeted nearly 3,000 points over three weeks toward the end of September, cash flow may have been disrupted for investors who, through margin accounts established with brokerage firms, had taken out loans using securities as collateral.
Although investors can borrow against the value of his or her securities through margin accounts, a minimum of equity must be maintained in them. If the value of the pledged securities were to fall far enough – as would likely have been the case during those tumultuous weeks – a “margin call” would require the borrower to sell off securities or deposit cash (cash that may have otherwise been paying the mortgage on a second home) or perhaps do both – in order to replenish the account equity.
The brokerage retains the right to sell the pledged securities and may not be required to consult the margin account holder before doing so, according to Investopedia.com, an investor education website owned by Forbes Media. In fact, the website goes on to state that the firm may also have the right to sell the securities before the investor has been given a chance to meet the margin call.
“It can happen incredibly fast,” Hintermeister said.
Hintermeister added that some Aspen area real estate brokers with whom he recently spoke told him that they are seeing people abandon large deposits – some worth hundreds of thousands of dollars – on projects that are still being completed.
“They’ve already told brokers that they are prepared to walk away because they don’t have the money to close,” he said.
“That’s big money to be walking away from.”
Sunday, October 12, 2008
Planning commission adopts northwest area plan
Posted by Erin Eddy
by Margaret Henderson
Oct 07, 2008
RIDGWAY – After months of meetings and discussion between the town, developers, members of the community, and planning consultants, the Ridgway Planning Commission unanimously adopted the Northwest Area Master Plan on Sept. 30. The plan is intended to complement the current 1999 Land Use Plan and the 2000 Comprehensive Plan and, according to the document itself, “serve as a guidance document for future development of the Northwest Areas and future master planning of the Town.”
The plan will be presented to town council for further discussion.
The 13-page plan was intentionally kept basic, with the understanding that the zoning and subdivision processes will define the final parameters, explained Jack Petruccelli, chairman of the planning commission.
Under the basic parameters of the plan, the 138 acres of what is currently open pasture-type land stretching from Charles Street north to Eagle Hill could potentially be developed into 800 to 1,500 dwelling units over time for an estimated potential population of 2,850, with a growth goal of 5 percent per year. The area would contain a mixture of residential neighborhoods and open space with mixed-use neighborhoods that could include higher-density residential development alongside commercial units such as a neighborhood store or sandwich shop.
Transportation networks would be built on a grid-like system similar to the historic layout of Ridgway, except where geographic issues may need to be considered.
Trails, parks and open space would include pedestrian and bicycle routes connecting town to the new development and providing transportation throughout. More direction on open space provisions in the Northwest Area Plan will come from the Parks, Trails and Open Space Task Force that is currently working on an open space plan to be appended to the Ridgway Master Plan.
Additionally, the plan addresses issues of affordable housing and water and wastewater infrastructure demands.
The final draft of the Northwest Area Plan is available on the town’s website at www.town.ridgway.co.us/.
Increased Building Footprint Considered
The planning commission engaged in an informal discussion with Jack Young, owner of the Chipeta Sun Lodge, about future plans for a vacant lot at the east end of the Chipeta property. The 1998 platting process provided for a building footprint, which Young would like to increase by 2,500 square feet. The area is currently used for parking and equipment storage.
Town Manager Greg Clifton noted that the increased size of the proposed building was not of particular concern because it is in harmony with the architecture of the neighborhood. However, the increased building size also increases parking requirements. Town Engineer Joanne Fagan suggested that a currently unused utility easement be made accessible for additional parking. The commissioners also discussed visual impacts, impacts to County Road 23 and drainage. The commission agreed to work on further details with Young while considering how to proceed.
Young stated that he has no immediate plans to build on the lot but may proceed with the project when the economy improves.
by Margaret Henderson
Oct 07, 2008
RIDGWAY – After months of meetings and discussion between the town, developers, members of the community, and planning consultants, the Ridgway Planning Commission unanimously adopted the Northwest Area Master Plan on Sept. 30. The plan is intended to complement the current 1999 Land Use Plan and the 2000 Comprehensive Plan and, according to the document itself, “serve as a guidance document for future development of the Northwest Areas and future master planning of the Town.”
The plan will be presented to town council for further discussion.
The 13-page plan was intentionally kept basic, with the understanding that the zoning and subdivision processes will define the final parameters, explained Jack Petruccelli, chairman of the planning commission.
Under the basic parameters of the plan, the 138 acres of what is currently open pasture-type land stretching from Charles Street north to Eagle Hill could potentially be developed into 800 to 1,500 dwelling units over time for an estimated potential population of 2,850, with a growth goal of 5 percent per year. The area would contain a mixture of residential neighborhoods and open space with mixed-use neighborhoods that could include higher-density residential development alongside commercial units such as a neighborhood store or sandwich shop.
Transportation networks would be built on a grid-like system similar to the historic layout of Ridgway, except where geographic issues may need to be considered.
Trails, parks and open space would include pedestrian and bicycle routes connecting town to the new development and providing transportation throughout. More direction on open space provisions in the Northwest Area Plan will come from the Parks, Trails and Open Space Task Force that is currently working on an open space plan to be appended to the Ridgway Master Plan.
Additionally, the plan addresses issues of affordable housing and water and wastewater infrastructure demands.
The final draft of the Northwest Area Plan is available on the town’s website at www.town.ridgway.co.us/.
Increased Building Footprint Considered
The planning commission engaged in an informal discussion with Jack Young, owner of the Chipeta Sun Lodge, about future plans for a vacant lot at the east end of the Chipeta property. The 1998 platting process provided for a building footprint, which Young would like to increase by 2,500 square feet. The area is currently used for parking and equipment storage.
Town Manager Greg Clifton noted that the increased size of the proposed building was not of particular concern because it is in harmony with the architecture of the neighborhood. However, the increased building size also increases parking requirements. Town Engineer Joanne Fagan suggested that a currently unused utility easement be made accessible for additional parking. The commissioners also discussed visual impacts, impacts to County Road 23 and drainage. The commission agreed to work on further details with Young while considering how to proceed.
Young stated that he has no immediate plans to build on the lot but may proceed with the project when the economy improves.
Friday, October 3, 2008
Expert explains links between mining and energy
Expert explains links between mining and energy
Posted by Erin Eddy
October 03, 2008
Plaindealer staff report
"Mining for energy independence," with a focus on renewable resources, is the topic of a public presentation at 7 p.m. Thursday, Oct. 9, at the Ouray Community Center.
Jim Burnell of the Colorado Geological Survey will talk about the importance of finding and developing domestic sources of minerals required for the development of generating energy from renewable sources.
Ouray County Surveyor Bob Larson said he expects attendance to represent the interests of mining, the environment and the general public.
According to Burnell, public support is growing for the development of energy generation from renewable sources. However, an aspect of renewable energy possibly unknown by many is the hardware needed for these technologies.
"The infrastructure requires mined materials, including imported strategic and critical minerals," said Burnell.
Burnell said silica, copper, gallium, indium, selenium, cadmium and tellurium are required for the dominant photovoltaic technologies. Silver and aluminum are necessary for "concentrating" solar power technology. Zinc, vanadium, platinum group metals and rare earth elements are key components of power storage, hybrid vehicle, and fuel cell applications.
"All these materials must be mined," said Burnell. "At present, the U.S. is woefully dependent upon import sources for most of these materials and demand is already squeezing the prices.
Domestic sources must be found and developed if energy independence is to be achieved using alternative sources." For information about the program, call Larson at 325-4600.
Posted by Erin Eddy
October 03, 2008
Plaindealer staff report
"Mining for energy independence," with a focus on renewable resources, is the topic of a public presentation at 7 p.m. Thursday, Oct. 9, at the Ouray Community Center.
Jim Burnell of the Colorado Geological Survey will talk about the importance of finding and developing domestic sources of minerals required for the development of generating energy from renewable sources.
Ouray County Surveyor Bob Larson said he expects attendance to represent the interests of mining, the environment and the general public.
According to Burnell, public support is growing for the development of energy generation from renewable sources. However, an aspect of renewable energy possibly unknown by many is the hardware needed for these technologies.
"The infrastructure requires mined materials, including imported strategic and critical minerals," said Burnell.
Burnell said silica, copper, gallium, indium, selenium, cadmium and tellurium are required for the dominant photovoltaic technologies. Silver and aluminum are necessary for "concentrating" solar power technology. Zinc, vanadium, platinum group metals and rare earth elements are key components of power storage, hybrid vehicle, and fuel cell applications.
"All these materials must be mined," said Burnell. "At present, the U.S. is woefully dependent upon import sources for most of these materials and demand is already squeezing the prices.
Domestic sources must be found and developed if energy independence is to be achieved using alternative sources." For information about the program, call Larson at 325-4600.
Forest Service Ice Park deal looming
Forest Service Ice Park deal looming
Posted by Erin Eddy
October 03, 2008
By Samantha Tisdel Wright
City and Forest Service officials appear to finally be on the same page, regarding the city's proposed acquisition of U.S. Forest Service inholdings at the Ouray Ice Park.
Mayor Bob Risch met with USFS officials on Monday to discuss a recent proposal for the city to purchase slightly more than 20 acres of Forest Service land encompassing the Ice Park and the city's adjacent shooting range.
"Both sides want it done," Risch said. The city will conduct a survey of the area in the coming weeks, after which the Forest Service will need to conduct an appraisal before acquisition can move forward.
Two portions of the Ouray Ice Park are owned by the USFS, said OIPI Executive Director Erin Eddy: an area below the lower bridge, known as "Five Fingers," and the "New Frontier" further up the gorge to the south, toward the reservoir.
Risch estimated that the acquisition process would "slip into 2009," but was encouraged that the city's formerly stymied efforts to consolidate ownership of the park are finally inching forward.
"We missed it so badly last time," he said, referring to a former proposal by the city to purchase 40 acres of land in the area. This proposal included ice park and shooting range parcels as well as Forest Service land encompassing the city's water tank.
That proposal was jettisoned earlier this year when a USFS appraisal for the parcels came in at $870,000, a figure which City Administrator Patrick Rondinelli called "completely ridiculous and ludicrous" in that it disregarded the city's and county's own zoning regulations which prohibit development in the area, much of which is literally vertical.
The new proposal, agreed upon Monday, includes only that USFS land which is within the Ice Park's boundary, as well as the shooting range, which the Forest Service wants to get away from the business of permitting. Risch said that in this go-around, he is hoping the Forest Service will agree to use a local appraiser, more familiar with the area's particular real estate climate.
Four entities own land within the ice park: the City of Ouray, Ouray County, the Forest Service, and Eric Jacobsen who owns Ouray's Hydroelectric Plant and much of the land and infrastructure along the south rim of the gorge. The county currently retains administrative oversight of the Ice Park, a duty which County Administrator Connie Hunt is eager to pass off as soon as possible, she told USFS officials at a multi-jurisdictional meeting on Thursday.
Ice Park land acquisition is one of eight priority goals listed by city officials for the upcoming 2009 budget. Other items include the engineering and installation of a new water line from the Box Canon Spring toward the Hot Springs Pool, the replacement of 300 feet of damaged water main near Mineral Farms on Camp Bird Road, the construction of a second water tank, conversion to a Home Rule municipal structure, engineering and installation of of a new diversion in the Skyrocket channel, continued efforts to forward the cause of affordable housing, and adoption of a parks master plan.
Posted by Erin Eddy
October 03, 2008
By Samantha Tisdel Wright
City and Forest Service officials appear to finally be on the same page, regarding the city's proposed acquisition of U.S. Forest Service inholdings at the Ouray Ice Park.
Mayor Bob Risch met with USFS officials on Monday to discuss a recent proposal for the city to purchase slightly more than 20 acres of Forest Service land encompassing the Ice Park and the city's adjacent shooting range.
"Both sides want it done," Risch said. The city will conduct a survey of the area in the coming weeks, after which the Forest Service will need to conduct an appraisal before acquisition can move forward.
Two portions of the Ouray Ice Park are owned by the USFS, said OIPI Executive Director Erin Eddy: an area below the lower bridge, known as "Five Fingers," and the "New Frontier" further up the gorge to the south, toward the reservoir.
Risch estimated that the acquisition process would "slip into 2009," but was encouraged that the city's formerly stymied efforts to consolidate ownership of the park are finally inching forward.
"We missed it so badly last time," he said, referring to a former proposal by the city to purchase 40 acres of land in the area. This proposal included ice park and shooting range parcels as well as Forest Service land encompassing the city's water tank.
That proposal was jettisoned earlier this year when a USFS appraisal for the parcels came in at $870,000, a figure which City Administrator Patrick Rondinelli called "completely ridiculous and ludicrous" in that it disregarded the city's and county's own zoning regulations which prohibit development in the area, much of which is literally vertical.
The new proposal, agreed upon Monday, includes only that USFS land which is within the Ice Park's boundary, as well as the shooting range, which the Forest Service wants to get away from the business of permitting. Risch said that in this go-around, he is hoping the Forest Service will agree to use a local appraiser, more familiar with the area's particular real estate climate.
Four entities own land within the ice park: the City of Ouray, Ouray County, the Forest Service, and Eric Jacobsen who owns Ouray's Hydroelectric Plant and much of the land and infrastructure along the south rim of the gorge. The county currently retains administrative oversight of the Ice Park, a duty which County Administrator Connie Hunt is eager to pass off as soon as possible, she told USFS officials at a multi-jurisdictional meeting on Thursday.
Ice Park land acquisition is one of eight priority goals listed by city officials for the upcoming 2009 budget. Other items include the engineering and installation of a new water line from the Box Canon Spring toward the Hot Springs Pool, the replacement of 300 feet of damaged water main near Mineral Farms on Camp Bird Road, the construction of a second water tank, conversion to a Home Rule municipal structure, engineering and installation of of a new diversion in the Skyrocket channel, continued efforts to forward the cause of affordable housing, and adoption of a parks master plan.
Thursday, September 25, 2008
Ridgway care home? Posted by Erin Eddy
Hope’s Journey Rehabilitation Center Takes a Step Forward
by Christopher PikeSep 23, 2008 | 45 views | 0 | 0 | | Planning Commission Recommends Approval of LUC Amendment
RIDGWAY – A movement to create a rehabilitation center for burn victims in Ouray County took a step forward last week. On Sept. 16 the Ouray County Planning Commission recommended approval of an amendment to the county land use code that would make “assisted living residence” a conditional use for lands in the Valley Zone. The application for the amendment, made by Solid Rock Foundation Ministries, prevailed with a 3-2 vote, with commissioners Ken Lipton and Bob Luttrell in opposition.
Solid Rock, operated by David and Kathleen Tabor, disclosed that the amendment would enable them to open a rehabilitation center for children or adults with severe burns. The foundation intends to purchase a parcel on Cutler Creek Drive in Ridgway, formerly the Ponderosa Care Home. The Ponderosa facility was approved as an assisted living center decades ago under a less stringent permit process that expired when the facility was closed, according to Interim County Planner Marc Castrodale.
The Tabors said their rehabilitation facility would have an emphasis on providing transitional service for patients, including psychological attention. “We’re not a hospital but an opportunity to help kids regain their identity,” said Kathleen Tabor.
Charity Freeland, Montrose resident, spoke in favor of the proposal. In 1993, at the age of 17, Freeland was in a horrific car accident that left second and third degree burns over 75 percent of her body. A visit to Colorado during the healing process sparked her dream of opening a home where burn victims could transition back into life outside the hospital. Freeland’s dream, now known as Hope’s Journey International, was the spark for the effort to create such a home in Ouray County.
The proposed amendment would also enable other facilities, such as a senior assisted living residence, to be considered by the county on a case-by-case basis. Supporters of that point included Ouray residents Roger and Angie Henn, who said they might need such a facility in the future.
Neighbors of the proposed facility, including the Lane and Wenande families, lodged their objections to the amendment. They maintained that the proposed center would bring noise, from traffic and recreational activities close to their homes. The Lanes also claimed their property values would be negatively impacted.
Commissioner Lipton expressed reservations due to the potential size and scope of future facilities. “You’re asking to change the entire land use code, not just one property,” he said. “I’m concerned about a mega-facility that might come in.” He suggested that these facilities only be permitted in new planned unit developments or subdivisions, not in or near existing developments that might have their values impacted.
A provision to require appropriate licensing by applicants was attached to the motion by Commissioner Linda Ingo, who voted in favor.
The next stage for the proposal will be consideration by the Ouray County Board of Commissioners.
Posted by Erin Eddy - Ridgway Land
by Christopher PikeSep 23, 2008 | 45 views | 0 | 0 | | Planning Commission Recommends Approval of LUC Amendment
RIDGWAY – A movement to create a rehabilitation center for burn victims in Ouray County took a step forward last week. On Sept. 16 the Ouray County Planning Commission recommended approval of an amendment to the county land use code that would make “assisted living residence” a conditional use for lands in the Valley Zone. The application for the amendment, made by Solid Rock Foundation Ministries, prevailed with a 3-2 vote, with commissioners Ken Lipton and Bob Luttrell in opposition.
Solid Rock, operated by David and Kathleen Tabor, disclosed that the amendment would enable them to open a rehabilitation center for children or adults with severe burns. The foundation intends to purchase a parcel on Cutler Creek Drive in Ridgway, formerly the Ponderosa Care Home. The Ponderosa facility was approved as an assisted living center decades ago under a less stringent permit process that expired when the facility was closed, according to Interim County Planner Marc Castrodale.
The Tabors said their rehabilitation facility would have an emphasis on providing transitional service for patients, including psychological attention. “We’re not a hospital but an opportunity to help kids regain their identity,” said Kathleen Tabor.
Charity Freeland, Montrose resident, spoke in favor of the proposal. In 1993, at the age of 17, Freeland was in a horrific car accident that left second and third degree burns over 75 percent of her body. A visit to Colorado during the healing process sparked her dream of opening a home where burn victims could transition back into life outside the hospital. Freeland’s dream, now known as Hope’s Journey International, was the spark for the effort to create such a home in Ouray County.
The proposed amendment would also enable other facilities, such as a senior assisted living residence, to be considered by the county on a case-by-case basis. Supporters of that point included Ouray residents Roger and Angie Henn, who said they might need such a facility in the future.
Neighbors of the proposed facility, including the Lane and Wenande families, lodged their objections to the amendment. They maintained that the proposed center would bring noise, from traffic and recreational activities close to their homes. The Lanes also claimed their property values would be negatively impacted.
Commissioner Lipton expressed reservations due to the potential size and scope of future facilities. “You’re asking to change the entire land use code, not just one property,” he said. “I’m concerned about a mega-facility that might come in.” He suggested that these facilities only be permitted in new planned unit developments or subdivisions, not in or near existing developments that might have their values impacted.
A provision to require appropriate licensing by applicants was attached to the motion by Commissioner Linda Ingo, who voted in favor.
The next stage for the proposal will be consideration by the Ouray County Board of Commissioners.
Posted by Erin Eddy - Ridgway Land
Thursday, September 11, 2008
New Housing Authority in Ridgway Colorado
RIDGWAY – Ouray County and the towns of Ridgway and Ouray are gearing up for discussions about what tasks to assign to the newly created Multi-jurisdictional Housing Authority. The authority’s first meeting will take place Thursday, Sept. 11 at 5:30 p.m. at Ridgway Town Hall.
“Every one [of the three governments] has different rules and regulations and different needs, so let's select the ones we think we can get done,” said Ouray County Commissioner Don Batchelder. Batchelder chaired an unofficial meeting at the Ridgway Town Hall on Aug. 21 to set the agenda and framework for the first meeting in the lengthy process of making housing affordable in Ouray County.
The effort is expected to begin with an authority-issued Request for Performance to the three participating entities based on a list of their expectations and the estimated funding that might be needed. “We formed this entity to look for funding; this is our task only,” commented Mike Fedel, City of Ouray Land Use Coordinator. Fedel, along with Jen Coates, assistant town planner for the Town of Ridgway, are expected to assume the role of staff to the authority.
The City of Ouray will be asking that the interagency agreement, or memorandum of understanding, be better defined. “We don't know where it'll evolve into the future. The language is pretty broad,” said Ouray City Administrator Patrick Rondinelli at the Sept. 2 city council meeting.
The authority will take on tasks as requested by the town, city and county, according to City Councilmember Sandra Stuller, who helped draft the memorandum of understanding. “The authority will serve the three governments that formed it. The costs are to be assumed by the requesting government and the budgeting to reflect the proper allocation of costs as services are provided,” Stuller told the council on Sept. 2.
The board will be made up of five members. It is expected that Ouray City Councilmember Betty Wolfe, Ridgway Town Councilmember Paul Hebert and Ouray County Commissioner Don Batchelder will serve on the board from one to two years.
Start-up funding will come from a $12,000 grant from the Colorado Department of Local Affairs and $3,000 in matching funds from each of the three governments.
Written by Christopher Pike and posted by Erin Eddy
“Every one [of the three governments] has different rules and regulations and different needs, so let's select the ones we think we can get done,” said Ouray County Commissioner Don Batchelder. Batchelder chaired an unofficial meeting at the Ridgway Town Hall on Aug. 21 to set the agenda and framework for the first meeting in the lengthy process of making housing affordable in Ouray County.
The effort is expected to begin with an authority-issued Request for Performance to the three participating entities based on a list of their expectations and the estimated funding that might be needed. “We formed this entity to look for funding; this is our task only,” commented Mike Fedel, City of Ouray Land Use Coordinator. Fedel, along with Jen Coates, assistant town planner for the Town of Ridgway, are expected to assume the role of staff to the authority.
The City of Ouray will be asking that the interagency agreement, or memorandum of understanding, be better defined. “We don't know where it'll evolve into the future. The language is pretty broad,” said Ouray City Administrator Patrick Rondinelli at the Sept. 2 city council meeting.
The authority will take on tasks as requested by the town, city and county, according to City Councilmember Sandra Stuller, who helped draft the memorandum of understanding. “The authority will serve the three governments that formed it. The costs are to be assumed by the requesting government and the budgeting to reflect the proper allocation of costs as services are provided,” Stuller told the council on Sept. 2.
The board will be made up of five members. It is expected that Ouray City Councilmember Betty Wolfe, Ridgway Town Councilmember Paul Hebert and Ouray County Commissioner Don Batchelder will serve on the board from one to two years.
Start-up funding will come from a $12,000 grant from the Colorado Department of Local Affairs and $3,000 in matching funds from each of the three governments.
Written by Christopher Pike and posted by Erin Eddy
Monday, September 1, 2008
BOCC to mull over mesa comm tower
By Douglas McDaniel
The Ouray County Commissioners have just a few days to meditate on what to do about a proposal for an 80-foot communications tower on Log Hill Mesa.
When they reconvene for deliberations at 9:30 a.m. Tuesday, Sept. 2, again in Ridgway at the 4-H Event Center, they will have to decide on whether to approve, deny or find some other solution for communications "dead zones" within the region, or, abide by residential concerns over "visual impacts" a structure the approximate height of a gas drilling rig might create.
This week every branch of the region's law enforcement and emergency personnel appeared before the commissioners Monday, during a lively hearing on a controversial communications tower on Log Hill Mesa near Ridgway to sound off like coyotes to the mutual chorus: Can you hear me now?
"When radios don't work it's hard for deputies to do their jobs," said Ouray County Sheriff Dominic Mattivi. "We've had calls where our deputies are out their and nobody can hear their cells."
Added Norm Rooker, chief of emergency services for Ouray County: "This is (about saving) lives. These are your lives. This system is costing you, the citizens, nothing."
By teaming up for a governmental/corporate partnership to pay for the 80-foot tower, to be built by Black & Veatch for the communications giant, Verizon, on land occupied by the Dallas Creek Water Company within Unit 1 of the Log Hill Village subdivision, a partnership has been created to build a $720,000 that the county could never, otherwise, afford.
"We have somebody willing to pony up at zero cost to the taxpayers," Rooker said.
On the other side of the more than two-hour debate Monday was the not-in-my-backyard crowd, mostly residents of the pricey community living on the mesa that is afforded breathtaking vistas of the San Juans, Mount Sneffels, and therefore, the rigid cascades serving as a backdrop for the Ralph Lauren Ranch.
Their broadcast before the commissioners: Most people are in favor of improving communications for the region, but why does it have to be in this neighborhood, especially one with such a picturesque setting?
"We are concerned about the current proposed tower's visual impacts," said Jane Nash of the Ridgway/Ouray Community Council. "We are in support of the tower, but not in a residential area."
Indeed, the specter of the possibility of an 80-foot communications tower on the mesa has now become a lightning rod for a baffling question over the wireless, highly microwaveable settlement of this high-profile corner of the New West.
While an attorney for the Log Hill Village Home & Property Owners' Association, Bob Thomas, argued that if it had been a simple development proposal before the commissioners, it ever would have been been considered for approval, the president of the HOA, Reggie Kajer, plead for the entire process to be slowed down so all viewpoints can be considered.
"The proposal for this 80-foot tower ... that we have to approve it now or everybody is going to die is wrong," he said. "I think we all should have been talking about this a year ago, and I think that's the problem."
It generated so much commentary during Monday's meeting in Ridgway, the commissioners didn't even have time to deliberate on what they heard. Instead, it moved to continue the decision on what had originally appeared to have been a slam dunk for a special meeting on Tuesday, Sept. 2, again in Ridgway at the 4-H Event Center.
"I don't want to open up Pandora's box, but Pandora may be already out and about," Commissioner Heidi Albritton predicted before the public hearing portion of the meeting attended by approximately 60 people. The delay was necessary considering the fact that, at the center of the debate, a mushy center had arisen in the form of a bit of a somewhat baffling administrative oversight. Included in the debate now is the question about what exactly the commissioners should base their ruling on regarding the nature of the "structure" versus "edifice" in terms of how it was to be interpreted in county's land use code.
At the end of the public hearing, Commissioner Keith Meinert told those in attendance that the semantics over the official "definition of structure" would be reviewed.
Prior to the meeting, the commissioners simply had to rubber stamp a recommendation for approval, by a 5-2 vote, of the Ridgway Area Joint Planning Board. But now the commissioners find themselves looking at a complex question of values in which public safety and issues of visual impact would have to be weighed, and, quite possibly vivisected.
"I assure you, you have given us something to think about," Meinert said.
The Ouray County Commissioners have just a few days to meditate on what to do about a proposal for an 80-foot communications tower on Log Hill Mesa.
When they reconvene for deliberations at 9:30 a.m. Tuesday, Sept. 2, again in Ridgway at the 4-H Event Center, they will have to decide on whether to approve, deny or find some other solution for communications "dead zones" within the region, or, abide by residential concerns over "visual impacts" a structure the approximate height of a gas drilling rig might create.
This week every branch of the region's law enforcement and emergency personnel appeared before the commissioners Monday, during a lively hearing on a controversial communications tower on Log Hill Mesa near Ridgway to sound off like coyotes to the mutual chorus: Can you hear me now?
"When radios don't work it's hard for deputies to do their jobs," said Ouray County Sheriff Dominic Mattivi. "We've had calls where our deputies are out their and nobody can hear their cells."
Added Norm Rooker, chief of emergency services for Ouray County: "This is (about saving) lives. These are your lives. This system is costing you, the citizens, nothing."
By teaming up for a governmental/corporate partnership to pay for the 80-foot tower, to be built by Black & Veatch for the communications giant, Verizon, on land occupied by the Dallas Creek Water Company within Unit 1 of the Log Hill Village subdivision, a partnership has been created to build a $720,000 that the county could never, otherwise, afford.
"We have somebody willing to pony up at zero cost to the taxpayers," Rooker said.
On the other side of the more than two-hour debate Monday was the not-in-my-backyard crowd, mostly residents of the pricey community living on the mesa that is afforded breathtaking vistas of the San Juans, Mount Sneffels, and therefore, the rigid cascades serving as a backdrop for the Ralph Lauren Ranch.
Their broadcast before the commissioners: Most people are in favor of improving communications for the region, but why does it have to be in this neighborhood, especially one with such a picturesque setting?
"We are concerned about the current proposed tower's visual impacts," said Jane Nash of the Ridgway/Ouray Community Council. "We are in support of the tower, but not in a residential area."
Indeed, the specter of the possibility of an 80-foot communications tower on the mesa has now become a lightning rod for a baffling question over the wireless, highly microwaveable settlement of this high-profile corner of the New West.
While an attorney for the Log Hill Village Home & Property Owners' Association, Bob Thomas, argued that if it had been a simple development proposal before the commissioners, it ever would have been been considered for approval, the president of the HOA, Reggie Kajer, plead for the entire process to be slowed down so all viewpoints can be considered.
"The proposal for this 80-foot tower ... that we have to approve it now or everybody is going to die is wrong," he said. "I think we all should have been talking about this a year ago, and I think that's the problem."
It generated so much commentary during Monday's meeting in Ridgway, the commissioners didn't even have time to deliberate on what they heard. Instead, it moved to continue the decision on what had originally appeared to have been a slam dunk for a special meeting on Tuesday, Sept. 2, again in Ridgway at the 4-H Event Center.
"I don't want to open up Pandora's box, but Pandora may be already out and about," Commissioner Heidi Albritton predicted before the public hearing portion of the meeting attended by approximately 60 people. The delay was necessary considering the fact that, at the center of the debate, a mushy center had arisen in the form of a bit of a somewhat baffling administrative oversight. Included in the debate now is the question about what exactly the commissioners should base their ruling on regarding the nature of the "structure" versus "edifice" in terms of how it was to be interpreted in county's land use code.
At the end of the public hearing, Commissioner Keith Meinert told those in attendance that the semantics over the official "definition of structure" would be reviewed.
Prior to the meeting, the commissioners simply had to rubber stamp a recommendation for approval, by a 5-2 vote, of the Ridgway Area Joint Planning Board. But now the commissioners find themselves looking at a complex question of values in which public safety and issues of visual impact would have to be weighed, and, quite possibly vivisected.
"I assure you, you have given us something to think about," Meinert said.
Saturday, July 26, 2008
Land Use Changes May Affect Ridgway Real Estate
July 26, 2008
Code Amendment Would Alter Rights of Private Property Owners
RIDGWAY – A proposed amendment to the Ouray County Land Use Code that would greatly alter private property rights in the county is set for public hearing before the Ouray County Commissioners tonight at 8 p.m. at the Ouray County 4-H Event Center in Ridgway. The amendment would, if enacted, shift decision-making authority involving changes to existing subdivisions from the homeowners’ association to the Ouray County Board of Commissioners.
The application for the amendment was paid for by Craig and Renee Cambria, owners of the 60-acre Night Hawk Ranch in Log Hill Unit II, under a law that allows the county, private citizens or private or public entities to request legislative changes.
The Cambrias wish to sell two six-acre lots but are restricted from doing so by current code regulations and the planned unit development's covenants. The properties surrounding the ranch currently have zoning densities ranging from approximately one to six acres.
Arguing for the Cambrias will be former county attorney Mike Hockersmith, who says that the existing rules have given neighboring property owners too much power over legitimate applications for amendment or modification of a subdivision's covenants, resulting in hardship for a particular lot owner.
Some homeowners’ associations and the Ridgway-Ouray Community Council have opposed the proposal, arguing that planned unit developments are contractual in nature as far as the lot owners are concerned and that if elected officials are allowed to have the final say on plat amendments or modifications, this would divest all lot owners in PUDs throughout the county of their decision-making power to prevent further divisions of lots prohibited by the covenants of their PUDs.
This hearing will follow an earlier hearing beginning at 6:35 p.m. to review non-substantive housekeeping changes to Section 6 of the Land Use Code that have been proposed by the county.
Code Amendment Would Alter Rights of Private Property Owners
RIDGWAY – A proposed amendment to the Ouray County Land Use Code that would greatly alter private property rights in the county is set for public hearing before the Ouray County Commissioners tonight at 8 p.m. at the Ouray County 4-H Event Center in Ridgway. The amendment would, if enacted, shift decision-making authority involving changes to existing subdivisions from the homeowners’ association to the Ouray County Board of Commissioners.
The application for the amendment was paid for by Craig and Renee Cambria, owners of the 60-acre Night Hawk Ranch in Log Hill Unit II, under a law that allows the county, private citizens or private or public entities to request legislative changes.
The Cambrias wish to sell two six-acre lots but are restricted from doing so by current code regulations and the planned unit development's covenants. The properties surrounding the ranch currently have zoning densities ranging from approximately one to six acres.
Arguing for the Cambrias will be former county attorney Mike Hockersmith, who says that the existing rules have given neighboring property owners too much power over legitimate applications for amendment or modification of a subdivision's covenants, resulting in hardship for a particular lot owner.
Some homeowners’ associations and the Ridgway-Ouray Community Council have opposed the proposal, arguing that planned unit developments are contractual in nature as far as the lot owners are concerned and that if elected officials are allowed to have the final say on plat amendments or modifications, this would divest all lot owners in PUDs throughout the county of their decision-making power to prevent further divisions of lots prohibited by the covenants of their PUDs.
This hearing will follow an earlier hearing beginning at 6:35 p.m. to review non-substantive housekeeping changes to Section 6 of the Land Use Code that have been proposed by the county.
Sunday, June 8, 2008
New Streetscape plan unveiled in Ridgway
RIDGWAY – Town planning officials and members of the public viewed a proposed streetscape plan for the Downtown Historic Business District on May 27 that, if approved, would serve to position the Town of Ridgway for economic revitalization. The design features a one-way, concrete-cobbled Clinton Street in a pedestrian-friendly, plaza format. The overall plan is replete with ornate iron benches, rustic mining period street lamps, perennial flower palettes, and tree-lined, paved streets.
Representatives from Durango-based Russell Engineering, Inc., a civil engineering and land planning firm commissioned by the town to design a new storm water system and streetscape, gave a PowerPoint presentation and answered questions from members of the Town Planning Commission during its regular meeting at the Community Center. The airing included a street-by-street cost breakdown, recommended construction phasing schedule, as well as the streescape layout. The scope of the project, however, was reduced due to “anticipated funding limitations,” limiting the streetscape plan to just the north side of Colorado Highway 62 between Laura and Railroad streets, according to Assistant Planner Jennifer Coates.
The cost of the project would be $2.7 million and could take 20-30 years to finance, according to Town Manager Greg Clifton, who noted that any recommendation by the Ridgway Town Council would have to be approved by voters at the polls.
The principal streets included in the renovation would be Railroad, Clinton, Laura, Cora, and Lena. The plan depicts the street layout while accommodating underground utilities; the named streets would be asphalted except Clinton, which would be paved in concrete. Clinton would once again serve as the hub of the Historic District, and could be closed to motor vehicle traffic for special events.
The intersections of the streets would also be paved in an earth-toned concrete color to “keep pedestrian flow,” according to William “Frowny” Frownfelter, who, along with Walker Christensen, Katie Nelson and Drew Chandler of Russell Engineering and THM Design, produced the plan.
The plan includes a lighted intersection at Railroad Street and Hwy. 62, with the last several yards of Railroad being moved westward onto what is now the southern portion of the tennis courts, as mandated by the Colorado Department of Transportation; buried power lines; the removal of the microwave repeater dish now in place at the Qwest Communications station on Clinton; the addition of trees on the named streets; and the utilization of more color and flower “palettes” to make Lena Street a “gateway to the town.”
“The additional trees would keep the character of the architecture,” said Chandler.
Parking would be increased from the current 180 places to 200, according to the design team.
The impact of additional street lighting was a topic of concern for some members in the audience. “I would like to see it a little darker,” commented Ridgway resident Brian Peters.
“If this goes forward, we're still two years off from actual construction,” said Clifton.
Hunter to Replace Rogers on Town Council
The ripple effect of the non-renewal of several Ridgway Secondary School teachers by the board of education on April 17 continues to be felt – most recently with some changes in the composition of Ridgway's planning commission and town council.
Planning commission chair Ellen Hunter informed the Town of Ridgway that she will be accepting an appointment to the Ridgway Town Council, filling the vacancy created by the May 15 resignation of Jonathan Rogers, who taught for four years at Ridgway Secondary School.
Town regulations provide that the runner up candidate be given an opportunity to be appointed by the town. Hunter lost to Rogers by seven votes in the April 1 election.
Rogers will be teaching language arts and journalism at Iowa City High. In his May 15 resignation letter, Rogers thanked citizens for the opportunity to serve: “It has been a pleasure to be part of this community and I look forward to hearing about new roads, festivals, green spaces, affordable housing, future issues of the Demon Press, and a renovated downtown that is sure to make Ridgway even better.”
At their May 27 meeting, planning commission members appointed member Jack Petruccelli chairperson and expressed their intent for the town to aggressively find a replacement for Hunter.
Representatives from Durango-based Russell Engineering, Inc., a civil engineering and land planning firm commissioned by the town to design a new storm water system and streetscape, gave a PowerPoint presentation and answered questions from members of the Town Planning Commission during its regular meeting at the Community Center. The airing included a street-by-street cost breakdown, recommended construction phasing schedule, as well as the streescape layout. The scope of the project, however, was reduced due to “anticipated funding limitations,” limiting the streetscape plan to just the north side of Colorado Highway 62 between Laura and Railroad streets, according to Assistant Planner Jennifer Coates.
The cost of the project would be $2.7 million and could take 20-30 years to finance, according to Town Manager Greg Clifton, who noted that any recommendation by the Ridgway Town Council would have to be approved by voters at the polls.
The principal streets included in the renovation would be Railroad, Clinton, Laura, Cora, and Lena. The plan depicts the street layout while accommodating underground utilities; the named streets would be asphalted except Clinton, which would be paved in concrete. Clinton would once again serve as the hub of the Historic District, and could be closed to motor vehicle traffic for special events.
The intersections of the streets would also be paved in an earth-toned concrete color to “keep pedestrian flow,” according to William “Frowny” Frownfelter, who, along with Walker Christensen, Katie Nelson and Drew Chandler of Russell Engineering and THM Design, produced the plan.
The plan includes a lighted intersection at Railroad Street and Hwy. 62, with the last several yards of Railroad being moved westward onto what is now the southern portion of the tennis courts, as mandated by the Colorado Department of Transportation; buried power lines; the removal of the microwave repeater dish now in place at the Qwest Communications station on Clinton; the addition of trees on the named streets; and the utilization of more color and flower “palettes” to make Lena Street a “gateway to the town.”
“The additional trees would keep the character of the architecture,” said Chandler.
Parking would be increased from the current 180 places to 200, according to the design team.
The impact of additional street lighting was a topic of concern for some members in the audience. “I would like to see it a little darker,” commented Ridgway resident Brian Peters.
“If this goes forward, we're still two years off from actual construction,” said Clifton.
Hunter to Replace Rogers on Town Council
The ripple effect of the non-renewal of several Ridgway Secondary School teachers by the board of education on April 17 continues to be felt – most recently with some changes in the composition of Ridgway's planning commission and town council.
Planning commission chair Ellen Hunter informed the Town of Ridgway that she will be accepting an appointment to the Ridgway Town Council, filling the vacancy created by the May 15 resignation of Jonathan Rogers, who taught for four years at Ridgway Secondary School.
Town regulations provide that the runner up candidate be given an opportunity to be appointed by the town. Hunter lost to Rogers by seven votes in the April 1 election.
Rogers will be teaching language arts and journalism at Iowa City High. In his May 15 resignation letter, Rogers thanked citizens for the opportunity to serve: “It has been a pleasure to be part of this community and I look forward to hearing about new roads, festivals, green spaces, affordable housing, future issues of the Demon Press, and a renovated downtown that is sure to make Ridgway even better.”
At their May 27 meeting, planning commission members appointed member Jack Petruccelli chairperson and expressed their intent for the town to aggressively find a replacement for Hunter.
Ridgway Schools Focused on the Future
RIDGWAY – Preparing students for the complexities of the 21st century’s increasingly competitive marketplace was the theme at the Ridgway School Board’s Tuesday, May 27 meeting. As Board President Kara Mueller explained it, the board’s main goal is to discern “what is the mission of our school district as we prepare our students for the 21st century” – a world, she observed, that’s obviously “different from 20, 30 or 50 years ago.”
In an effort to come up with a mission statement that will inspire students, faculty and the community at large to focus on the future, the board spent more than half-an-hour telephone conferencing with Colorado Association of School Boards advisor Vera Dawson about how to involve the public in the process.
“You don’t want to confuse them,” Dawson cautioned the board, regarding public involvement in coming up with a compelling statement, “or cause them to burn out.” Describing the current mission statement as more “slogan” than mission statement, Dawson emphasized the need to come up with a public process that “won’t bore people to death.”
“It’s always a challenge to get people there,” Mueller told Dawson, “and then, once they are there, to get them to feel they are part of the necessary process,” feeling “useful and heard in the process” and “making it worthwhile for them.”
“We are a small mountain community,” emphasized former Board President Howard Butcher, a lifelong Ridgway area resident, who is moving his family to California later this summer, “and it’s kind of isolated.
“Sometimes I feel a certain amount of complacency” on the part of students and parents, Butcher continued, as well as a lack of awareness that students will eventually compete in the workplace with, say, “Korean students who are studying 15 hours a day” right now to increase their eligibility in the job market.
Butcher, who had begun the meeting by declaring that his recent tour of schools in California – of a range of public, charter and private schools – left him impressed by “the talent and capable teaching here and how there is so much going right, going well here, at our schools,” he went on to emphasize that the district’s mission statement – which it is hoped will be completed by the start of the next school year, will “reflect the reality that we’re very serious about this world” today’s students must prepare themselves for.
The board hopes to have a perfect-pitch mission statement in place for the 2008-09 school year.
Budget ‘Looks in Line’
Comparing the end-of-the-school-year wait to balance the books to “a tidal wave,” with “three-quarters of the revenue coming crashing in” now that the school year has ended, Superintendent Douglas Bissonette voiced confidence that, with $500,000 outstanding, “everything still looks in line; now, it’s a matter of waiting” for revenues mostly from property taxes.
Bingo!
“We want to do more than just a turkey dinner and a carnival” on the fund-raising front, Mueller told the board, and to that end, the board is considering bingo gatherings – as a fundraiser as well as “a vehicle for creating community.”
Greenhouse Studies
District resident Heidi Comstock, who has a greenhouse in her home at Log Hill, and has developed greenhouse-curriculum in the past, has offered to work with the district on a greenhouse program for the schools.
A Cool Mission
The Ridgway High School graduating class earned $1,360,700 in committed scholarship money this academic year; the total committed moneys from colleges accepted by students, to date, is $598,120; and 19 students with college offers have accepted.
Staff Comings and Goings
The board voted unanimously to approve recommendations to hire Emma Brockman as secondary principal; Maggie Guscott (high school math teacher); Anne Hilleman (secondary special ed; Mary Ownes (11/12 English teacher); Mary Haskins (6-8 English teacher); Tim Lyons (technology teacher); Nancy Randall (middle school Spanish teacher); Ryan Wilson (high school social studies teacher) and Jessica Kimball (secondary school PE teacher); Robyn Cascade (third grade teacher); Kelly Charrier (elementary Spanish teacher) and Rebecca Hazen (pre-school teacher.” The board accepted resignations from Kelly Hagemeyer (paraprofessional); Beth Costa (librarian); Charlie Jones (athletic director); and Gina Rogers (English teacher).
In an effort to come up with a mission statement that will inspire students, faculty and the community at large to focus on the future, the board spent more than half-an-hour telephone conferencing with Colorado Association of School Boards advisor Vera Dawson about how to involve the public in the process.
“You don’t want to confuse them,” Dawson cautioned the board, regarding public involvement in coming up with a compelling statement, “or cause them to burn out.” Describing the current mission statement as more “slogan” than mission statement, Dawson emphasized the need to come up with a public process that “won’t bore people to death.”
“It’s always a challenge to get people there,” Mueller told Dawson, “and then, once they are there, to get them to feel they are part of the necessary process,” feeling “useful and heard in the process” and “making it worthwhile for them.”
“We are a small mountain community,” emphasized former Board President Howard Butcher, a lifelong Ridgway area resident, who is moving his family to California later this summer, “and it’s kind of isolated.
“Sometimes I feel a certain amount of complacency” on the part of students and parents, Butcher continued, as well as a lack of awareness that students will eventually compete in the workplace with, say, “Korean students who are studying 15 hours a day” right now to increase their eligibility in the job market.
Butcher, who had begun the meeting by declaring that his recent tour of schools in California – of a range of public, charter and private schools – left him impressed by “the talent and capable teaching here and how there is so much going right, going well here, at our schools,” he went on to emphasize that the district’s mission statement – which it is hoped will be completed by the start of the next school year, will “reflect the reality that we’re very serious about this world” today’s students must prepare themselves for.
The board hopes to have a perfect-pitch mission statement in place for the 2008-09 school year.
Budget ‘Looks in Line’
Comparing the end-of-the-school-year wait to balance the books to “a tidal wave,” with “three-quarters of the revenue coming crashing in” now that the school year has ended, Superintendent Douglas Bissonette voiced confidence that, with $500,000 outstanding, “everything still looks in line; now, it’s a matter of waiting” for revenues mostly from property taxes.
Bingo!
“We want to do more than just a turkey dinner and a carnival” on the fund-raising front, Mueller told the board, and to that end, the board is considering bingo gatherings – as a fundraiser as well as “a vehicle for creating community.”
Greenhouse Studies
District resident Heidi Comstock, who has a greenhouse in her home at Log Hill, and has developed greenhouse-curriculum in the past, has offered to work with the district on a greenhouse program for the schools.
A Cool Mission
The Ridgway High School graduating class earned $1,360,700 in committed scholarship money this academic year; the total committed moneys from colleges accepted by students, to date, is $598,120; and 19 students with college offers have accepted.
Staff Comings and Goings
The board voted unanimously to approve recommendations to hire Emma Brockman as secondary principal; Maggie Guscott (high school math teacher); Anne Hilleman (secondary special ed; Mary Ownes (11/12 English teacher); Mary Haskins (6-8 English teacher); Tim Lyons (technology teacher); Nancy Randall (middle school Spanish teacher); Ryan Wilson (high school social studies teacher) and Jessica Kimball (secondary school PE teacher); Robyn Cascade (third grade teacher); Kelly Charrier (elementary Spanish teacher) and Rebecca Hazen (pre-school teacher.” The board accepted resignations from Kelly Hagemeyer (paraprofessional); Beth Costa (librarian); Charlie Jones (athletic director); and Gina Rogers (English teacher).
Wednesday, April 23, 2008
Affordable Housing in Ridgway?
Affordable Housing on the Wane in Ouray County
by Kate Kellogg1 day 11 hrs ago | 83 views | 0 | 0 | | RIDGWAY – A new analysis of Ouray County’s housing needs, packed with facts and figures, provides the hard evidence of a growing dearth of affordable housing in Ouray County.
Consultants from Denver and San Miguel County presented their Ouray County Housing Needs Assessment to the public on Wednesday, April 16 at the Ridgway Community Center. In view of trends in wages and home prices, the assessment predicts that by 2015, 30 percent of new employee households in the county will need some form of affordable housing.
Nearly half of the 650 Ouray County households who responded to a survey on housing needs ranked affordable housing as one of the most serious problems facing the county.
The assessment was commissioned by the newly formed county-wide Affordable Housing Authority, an independent entity created to help locate, finance, build, and administer affordable housing in Ouray County. The authority is comprised of representatives from the county, City of Ouray and Town of Ridgway. Funded by a grant from the Colorado Department of Local Affairs, the housing needs assessment is the work of two consulting firms: the San Miguel County-based Affordable Housing Solutions and the Denver office of Economic & Planning Systems, Inc.
“One purpose of the assessment was to find out what residents want and need and to target appropriate housing prices,” said Affordable Housing Solutions’ Dawn Ibis.
The report highlights the growing disparity between income and housing prices. While real wages earned in the county have increased by 2.1 percent annually since 2000 (exceeding the rate of increase for the state), the increase in median value of Ouray County homes has risen 11.6 annually since 2003. The median price of a single-family home in Ouray County in 2006 was $395,000 and in 2007, $431,500. The average sale price for a condo or townhouse was $310,000 in 2007.
In 2006, the county’s area median income was $51,250 for a 2.5-person household. Not surprisingly, 26 percent of all renters and 33 percent of homeowners in the county are what the report calls “cost burdened,” meaning they spend over 30 percent of their incomes on housing. Moreover, 40 percent of all county households meet the Department of Housing and Urban Development’s definition of low income, as they earn 80 percent or less of the county’s median income.
Andy Knudtsen, of Economic & Planning Systems, attempted to “put a human face” on such affordability measures. He cited the report’s example of a household comprised of a teacher earning the average 2006 wage of $25,832 and a retail trade worker earning the 2006 average wage of $20,088. Combining their incomes, an affordable house would be priced at $157,400, far below the average available market unit from 2006.
That hypothetical household is earning about 90 percent of the area median income. Those 40 percent of the county’s population who earn 80 percent of the median could only afford a $140,000 home or a $1,000 per month rental unit.
One group that is apparently finding adequate housing is second home owners. While total housing units in Ouray County increased by an average of 112 per year from 2000-2006, the number of resident households increased by about 42 per year. Thus, 70 new housing units per year were either vacant or occupied by part-time residents.
A survey of employers in the county found that about 33 percent of Ouray workers and 75 percent of employees who work in Ridgway commute from other locations, both within and outside Ouray County. The 21 employers who responded attributed a number of employee losses to housing problems. About 25 percent of the employer respondents offer some form of housing assistance to their employees.
To prevent further shrinkage of the employee pool, essential workers should receive priority ranking as candidates for affordable housing, the study recommends. “Teachers, tellers and cops” broadly describes the cross-section of key service providers who may not be able to find affordable housing in the county, noted Knudtsen.
According to the study, the county’s current housing deficit is 165 units, a figure derived by adding the number of unfilled jobs countywide to half of the county’s in-commuters (assuming some employees commute for reasons other than housing costs). Based on employment projections, that deficit could grow to 881 by 2015.
A review of master-planned development projects highlighted the six affordable units planned for the Silvershield development in Ouray and 10 affordably priced units in Ridgway’s Parkside and Preserve developments. According to the assessment, none of the prices for any of these units will be below $220,000, or affordable for households earning less than 100 percent of the median income.
“All of these projects were initiated by developers,” said Ibis. “To achieve lower costs, such projects must be subsidized with state or federal grants.” She said the new affordable housing authority may eventually identify funding sources that will help fill the gaps.
The housing study recommends that Ridgway create a standard zoning requirement that developers set aside a portion of new units as affordable housing. Accordingly, the town should provide incentives to developers such as permit fee waivers, tap fee deferrals and density increases. It suggests that the city of Ouray could capitalize on its tourism economy by designating a fraction of sales or accommodations tax for affordable housing. Ibis noted that Telluride reserves .5 percent of its sales tax for that purpose. Since developable land in Ouray is limited, the city might provide incentives to include affordable housing in redevelopment sites.
Recognizing that the county and municipalities are protective of environmentally sensitive areas, the assessment recommends targeting areas of lesser growth, such as the Colona area, for affordable housing. The county might also use this approach for lands that immediately abut Ridgway and Ouray.
David Schwartz of Economic Planning & Systems commended the countywide attempts to address the area’s critical housing needs. “It’s great to see this collective community effort,” he said. “The challenge is to develop clear and consistent standards and generate public support for administration of future programs.”
by Kate Kellogg1 day 11 hrs ago | 83 views | 0 | 0 | | RIDGWAY – A new analysis of Ouray County’s housing needs, packed with facts and figures, provides the hard evidence of a growing dearth of affordable housing in Ouray County.
Consultants from Denver and San Miguel County presented their Ouray County Housing Needs Assessment to the public on Wednesday, April 16 at the Ridgway Community Center. In view of trends in wages and home prices, the assessment predicts that by 2015, 30 percent of new employee households in the county will need some form of affordable housing.
Nearly half of the 650 Ouray County households who responded to a survey on housing needs ranked affordable housing as one of the most serious problems facing the county.
The assessment was commissioned by the newly formed county-wide Affordable Housing Authority, an independent entity created to help locate, finance, build, and administer affordable housing in Ouray County. The authority is comprised of representatives from the county, City of Ouray and Town of Ridgway. Funded by a grant from the Colorado Department of Local Affairs, the housing needs assessment is the work of two consulting firms: the San Miguel County-based Affordable Housing Solutions and the Denver office of Economic & Planning Systems, Inc.
“One purpose of the assessment was to find out what residents want and need and to target appropriate housing prices,” said Affordable Housing Solutions’ Dawn Ibis.
The report highlights the growing disparity between income and housing prices. While real wages earned in the county have increased by 2.1 percent annually since 2000 (exceeding the rate of increase for the state), the increase in median value of Ouray County homes has risen 11.6 annually since 2003. The median price of a single-family home in Ouray County in 2006 was $395,000 and in 2007, $431,500. The average sale price for a condo or townhouse was $310,000 in 2007.
In 2006, the county’s area median income was $51,250 for a 2.5-person household. Not surprisingly, 26 percent of all renters and 33 percent of homeowners in the county are what the report calls “cost burdened,” meaning they spend over 30 percent of their incomes on housing. Moreover, 40 percent of all county households meet the Department of Housing and Urban Development’s definition of low income, as they earn 80 percent or less of the county’s median income.
Andy Knudtsen, of Economic & Planning Systems, attempted to “put a human face” on such affordability measures. He cited the report’s example of a household comprised of a teacher earning the average 2006 wage of $25,832 and a retail trade worker earning the 2006 average wage of $20,088. Combining their incomes, an affordable house would be priced at $157,400, far below the average available market unit from 2006.
That hypothetical household is earning about 90 percent of the area median income. Those 40 percent of the county’s population who earn 80 percent of the median could only afford a $140,000 home or a $1,000 per month rental unit.
One group that is apparently finding adequate housing is second home owners. While total housing units in Ouray County increased by an average of 112 per year from 2000-2006, the number of resident households increased by about 42 per year. Thus, 70 new housing units per year were either vacant or occupied by part-time residents.
A survey of employers in the county found that about 33 percent of Ouray workers and 75 percent of employees who work in Ridgway commute from other locations, both within and outside Ouray County. The 21 employers who responded attributed a number of employee losses to housing problems. About 25 percent of the employer respondents offer some form of housing assistance to their employees.
To prevent further shrinkage of the employee pool, essential workers should receive priority ranking as candidates for affordable housing, the study recommends. “Teachers, tellers and cops” broadly describes the cross-section of key service providers who may not be able to find affordable housing in the county, noted Knudtsen.
According to the study, the county’s current housing deficit is 165 units, a figure derived by adding the number of unfilled jobs countywide to half of the county’s in-commuters (assuming some employees commute for reasons other than housing costs). Based on employment projections, that deficit could grow to 881 by 2015.
A review of master-planned development projects highlighted the six affordable units planned for the Silvershield development in Ouray and 10 affordably priced units in Ridgway’s Parkside and Preserve developments. According to the assessment, none of the prices for any of these units will be below $220,000, or affordable for households earning less than 100 percent of the median income.
“All of these projects were initiated by developers,” said Ibis. “To achieve lower costs, such projects must be subsidized with state or federal grants.” She said the new affordable housing authority may eventually identify funding sources that will help fill the gaps.
The housing study recommends that Ridgway create a standard zoning requirement that developers set aside a portion of new units as affordable housing. Accordingly, the town should provide incentives to developers such as permit fee waivers, tap fee deferrals and density increases. It suggests that the city of Ouray could capitalize on its tourism economy by designating a fraction of sales or accommodations tax for affordable housing. Ibis noted that Telluride reserves .5 percent of its sales tax for that purpose. Since developable land in Ouray is limited, the city might provide incentives to include affordable housing in redevelopment sites.
Recognizing that the county and municipalities are protective of environmentally sensitive areas, the assessment recommends targeting areas of lesser growth, such as the Colona area, for affordable housing. The county might also use this approach for lands that immediately abut Ridgway and Ouray.
David Schwartz of Economic Planning & Systems commended the countywide attempts to address the area’s critical housing needs. “It’s great to see this collective community effort,” he said. “The challenge is to develop clear and consistent standards and generate public support for administration of future programs.”
Tuesday, April 8, 2008
County Considers Donation of Historic Mining Claims
County Considers Donation of Historic Mining Claims
Courtesy of the Ouray County Watch
JONATHAN MINE – The Ouray County Board of Commissioners has been asked by the Red Mountain Project group to acquire two mining claims: the seven-acre American Girl near the top of Red Mountain Pass just off U.S. Highway 550 and the 10-acre Jonathan Mine (above) on Gold Hill overlooking Ouray, which according to Ouray Mayor and a RMP group member Bob Risch included a blacksmith shop, boarding house with kitchen, and tram station. (Courtesy photo)
slideshow OURAY – Ouray County could be the recipient of approximately 17 acres of historic mining sites in the near future, including the seven-acre American Girl Mine just south of Ironton and the 10-acre Jonathan Mine north of Ouray.
Ouray Mayor Bob Risch, speaking on behalf of the Red Mountain Project at the March 31 meeting of the Ouray Board of County Commissioners, invited the commissioners to consider taking title to the land so that preservation of these prominent mining sites and the buildings on them may continue.
The commissioners agreed to consider the offer and asked County Attorney Mary Deganhart to explore any legal issues that the county may encounter by accepting ownership. They also asked County Administrator Connie Hunt to schedule a workshop soon with the Red Mountain Task Force and the Ouray County Historical Society. Risch said he is already planning to have a meeting in early May with the historical society, which usually participates in the process of transferring historic mining sites to public ownership.
The donation would add to the120 acres that the county previously acquired from RMP for its mining claim inventory, including the Ironton Townsite, the Larson Brothers claims and the Beaver/Belfast mines, as well as to nearly 200 acres of mining claims already in county ownership.
The American Girl Mine, according to Risch, is a favorite subject for area artists and photographers and is “one of the most prominent historic mining structures along the length of the San Juan Skyway,” he said. The mine was supposed to be deeded to the U.S. Forest Service along with two other claims collectively named White Cloud, but the overlapping juxtaposition of those claims triggered some confusion, and the American Girl was missed during the transfer. The result, said Risch, is that the Trust for Public Land still holds title and is making it available to the county.
Acquisition of the Jonathan Mine, located on Gold Hill overlooking Ouray, is crucial for its future preservation, according to the task force. This site contains a tram terminal, blacksmith shop and boardinghouse. Access to the site is by historic roads and trails, which cross privately owned claims, making access to the mine problematic. Risch said that the county should be able to negotiate road access with neighboring landowners at that location in the future. “Our hope and expectation is that county acceptance of the Jonathan would be a positive step toward the protection of the public interests in this remarkable property,” Risch said.
Risch said that most of the county’s approximately 320 acres of mining holdings might eventually be worthy of protection as a National Historic area. “Under those circumstances the county’s inventory of historic properties might best be sold, exchanged or otherwise conveyed to the federal government. In the meantime, acceptance of the above-listed properties is one more invaluable step the BOCC can take in the continuing role as stewards of irreplaceable resources,” said Risch in a memo to the county commissioners.
The Red Mountain Project was founded in 1998 with a goal to preserve 10,500 acres of historic landscapes and structures within and around the historic Red Mountain Mining District. The Trust for Public Land, a national nonprofit land conservation organization, has acquired and conveyed approximately 7,800 of those acres to the Forest Service. TPL is a key member of the Red Mountain Project Task Force, along with county commissioners from Ouray and San Juan counties, representatives of Fort Lewis College and the U.S. Forest Service.
Courtesy of the Ouray County Watch
JONATHAN MINE – The Ouray County Board of Commissioners has been asked by the Red Mountain Project group to acquire two mining claims: the seven-acre American Girl near the top of Red Mountain Pass just off U.S. Highway 550 and the 10-acre Jonathan Mine (above) on Gold Hill overlooking Ouray, which according to Ouray Mayor and a RMP group member Bob Risch included a blacksmith shop, boarding house with kitchen, and tram station. (Courtesy photo)
slideshow OURAY – Ouray County could be the recipient of approximately 17 acres of historic mining sites in the near future, including the seven-acre American Girl Mine just south of Ironton and the 10-acre Jonathan Mine north of Ouray.
Ouray Mayor Bob Risch, speaking on behalf of the Red Mountain Project at the March 31 meeting of the Ouray Board of County Commissioners, invited the commissioners to consider taking title to the land so that preservation of these prominent mining sites and the buildings on them may continue.
The commissioners agreed to consider the offer and asked County Attorney Mary Deganhart to explore any legal issues that the county may encounter by accepting ownership. They also asked County Administrator Connie Hunt to schedule a workshop soon with the Red Mountain Task Force and the Ouray County Historical Society. Risch said he is already planning to have a meeting in early May with the historical society, which usually participates in the process of transferring historic mining sites to public ownership.
The donation would add to the120 acres that the county previously acquired from RMP for its mining claim inventory, including the Ironton Townsite, the Larson Brothers claims and the Beaver/Belfast mines, as well as to nearly 200 acres of mining claims already in county ownership.
The American Girl Mine, according to Risch, is a favorite subject for area artists and photographers and is “one of the most prominent historic mining structures along the length of the San Juan Skyway,” he said. The mine was supposed to be deeded to the U.S. Forest Service along with two other claims collectively named White Cloud, but the overlapping juxtaposition of those claims triggered some confusion, and the American Girl was missed during the transfer. The result, said Risch, is that the Trust for Public Land still holds title and is making it available to the county.
Acquisition of the Jonathan Mine, located on Gold Hill overlooking Ouray, is crucial for its future preservation, according to the task force. This site contains a tram terminal, blacksmith shop and boardinghouse. Access to the site is by historic roads and trails, which cross privately owned claims, making access to the mine problematic. Risch said that the county should be able to negotiate road access with neighboring landowners at that location in the future. “Our hope and expectation is that county acceptance of the Jonathan would be a positive step toward the protection of the public interests in this remarkable property,” Risch said.
Risch said that most of the county’s approximately 320 acres of mining holdings might eventually be worthy of protection as a National Historic area. “Under those circumstances the county’s inventory of historic properties might best be sold, exchanged or otherwise conveyed to the federal government. In the meantime, acceptance of the above-listed properties is one more invaluable step the BOCC can take in the continuing role as stewards of irreplaceable resources,” said Risch in a memo to the county commissioners.
The Red Mountain Project was founded in 1998 with a goal to preserve 10,500 acres of historic landscapes and structures within and around the historic Red Mountain Mining District. The Trust for Public Land, a national nonprofit land conservation organization, has acquired and conveyed approximately 7,800 of those acres to the Forest Service. TPL is a key member of the Red Mountain Project Task Force, along with county commissioners from Ouray and San Juan counties, representatives of Fort Lewis College and the U.S. Forest Service.
Ouray Ice Park Price Tag: $870,000
by Christopher Pike7
OURAY – An unexpectedly high price of $870,000 is what an appraiser has attached to 40 acres of U.S. Forest Service land situated on the south edge of Ouray. The acreage, however, is choice: It is the site of the world-acclaimed Ouray Ice Park, the purchase of which has been a topic of negotiation between the forest service and Ouray officials for at least 18 months.
“The appraisal is a little higher than the city would like. We just got it back. We all have a real vested interest for this. We want to help the city,” Tammy Randall-Parker, forest service district ranger, told representatives of Ouray, Montrose and San Miguel counties at their quarterly Tri-County meeting on March 18 in Ridgway.
Both Ouray officials and the forest service would like the deal to be consummated, now that the details have been worked out. But is the late-arriving price out of reach?
City officials see the park as an essential component of Ouray’s reviving winter economy. However, with an already tight budget, and the 6th Street renovation about to break ground at a price tag of $478,000 (of which the city will pay approximately $150,000 out of pocket), acquisition of the ice park is likely to become more complicated.
“I thought there was going to be a land swap or buy/re-sell/trade. I thought it was for land, like an inholding,” said Ouray County Commissioner Keith Meinert.
“Yes, but for essential, critical needs,” replied Randall-Parker. “We can do land exchanges or an outright sale.”
Ouray Mayor Bob Risch told The Watchthat the city is still negotiating, but for less land. “There was not enough of an exchange value. We will have to reduce the size of the parcel. The appraiser is looking for the highest and best value to protect the public’s interest, even though we wouldn’t allow any real estate development… [Ouray’s acquisition of the ice park] is something everybody wants. The forest service doesn’t want the permitting challenges [associated with the ice park] either, including liability concerns.”
In other forest service news, some of the 22 existing range allotments for cattle and sheep in Ouray County could be permanently closed. “It’s down to 13 cattle and nine sheep allotments,” said Randall-Parker. Invoking the Range Rescission Act, the forest service and the Colorado Division of Wildlife have visited with all of the livestock permit holders and are instituting measures to reduce the risk of contact between bighorn sheep and domestic cattle and sheep, which can spread pneumonia to local populations of bighorn.
Randall-Parker also announced that the U.S. Forest Service plans to host field trips on Red Mountain National Historic District’s trails and roads to talk with user groups about management of the areas.
This summer Volunteer Outdoor Colorado will create a new campsite in Yankee Boy Basin for climbers approaching Mount Sneffels, and will eliminate others due to resource damage along the streams.
The forest service has also joined forces with Northern Arizona University’s Ecological Restoration Institute in a forest restoration project covering about 80,000 acres on the Uncompahgre Plateau, according to Randall-Parker.
by Christopher Pike7
OURAY – An unexpectedly high price of $870,000 is what an appraiser has attached to 40 acres of U.S. Forest Service land situated on the south edge of Ouray. The acreage, however, is choice: It is the site of the world-acclaimed Ouray Ice Park, the purchase of which has been a topic of negotiation between the forest service and Ouray officials for at least 18 months.
“The appraisal is a little higher than the city would like. We just got it back. We all have a real vested interest for this. We want to help the city,” Tammy Randall-Parker, forest service district ranger, told representatives of Ouray, Montrose and San Miguel counties at their quarterly Tri-County meeting on March 18 in Ridgway.
Both Ouray officials and the forest service would like the deal to be consummated, now that the details have been worked out. But is the late-arriving price out of reach?
City officials see the park as an essential component of Ouray’s reviving winter economy. However, with an already tight budget, and the 6th Street renovation about to break ground at a price tag of $478,000 (of which the city will pay approximately $150,000 out of pocket), acquisition of the ice park is likely to become more complicated.
“I thought there was going to be a land swap or buy/re-sell/trade. I thought it was for land, like an inholding,” said Ouray County Commissioner Keith Meinert.
“Yes, but for essential, critical needs,” replied Randall-Parker. “We can do land exchanges or an outright sale.”
Ouray Mayor Bob Risch told The Watchthat the city is still negotiating, but for less land. “There was not enough of an exchange value. We will have to reduce the size of the parcel. The appraiser is looking for the highest and best value to protect the public’s interest, even though we wouldn’t allow any real estate development… [Ouray’s acquisition of the ice park] is something everybody wants. The forest service doesn’t want the permitting challenges [associated with the ice park] either, including liability concerns.”
In other forest service news, some of the 22 existing range allotments for cattle and sheep in Ouray County could be permanently closed. “It’s down to 13 cattle and nine sheep allotments,” said Randall-Parker. Invoking the Range Rescission Act, the forest service and the Colorado Division of Wildlife have visited with all of the livestock permit holders and are instituting measures to reduce the risk of contact between bighorn sheep and domestic cattle and sheep, which can spread pneumonia to local populations of bighorn.
Randall-Parker also announced that the U.S. Forest Service plans to host field trips on Red Mountain National Historic District’s trails and roads to talk with user groups about management of the areas.
This summer Volunteer Outdoor Colorado will create a new campsite in Yankee Boy Basin for climbers approaching Mount Sneffels, and will eliminate others due to resource damage along the streams.
The forest service has also joined forces with Northern Arizona University’s Ecological Restoration Institute in a forest restoration project covering about 80,000 acres on the Uncompahgre Plateau, according to Randall-Parker.
Wednesday, March 26, 2008
Ouray County Real Estate News
Kuijvenhoven Drops Lawsuit Against County
by Christopher Pike1 day 3 hrs ago | 30 views | 0 | 0 | OURAY – On Friday, March 7 JV Real Estate, owned by local real-estate developer John Kuijvenhoven, put an end to a lawsuit against the Ouray County Board of Commissioners by filing a “stipulation of dismissal with prejudice.”
The lawsuit sought revisions to an amended plat for the Cornerstone Subdivision that was approved by the county commissioners in October 2007.
Kuijvenhoven said the commissioners ignored a provision in a 2004 development agreement inked by the county and JV Real Estate that required all streets, roads and driveways within the development to be privately owned and maintained. He contended that an October 2007 amendment to the Cornerstone final plat would increase traffic on Dave Wood Road and, subsequently, through his property that borders the road.
In rebuttal, County Attorney Mary Deganhart maintained that the development agreement contained adequate traffic restrictions.
Deganhart said at the March 10 meeting of the county commissioners that there were no settlement negotiations, and that the dismissal followed an answer filed by the county in late January.
County Clerk Encourages Mail Voting
With the primary and general elections approaching, Ouray County Clerk and Recorder Michelle Nauer recommended that voters consider their options – including voting by mail.
“This office is committed to making your voting experience trouble free,” she said at the commissioners’ March 10 meeting. “All voters will receive a letter from this office notifying everyone of their opportunity to receive their ballot by mail. This is optional. You may still go to the polls on Election Day, same as always, unless the legislature allows further changes.”
New to Colorado residents is the permanent vote-by-mail option.
“[Vote by mail] is the easiest way to receive your ballot,” said Nauer. “Your only responsibility is to keep this office apprised of any changes, whether it be your name, street or mailing address.”
Nauer also advised citizens to check their voter registration for accuracy by verifying that their name, address and party affiliation are correct. That can be done online at www.sos.state.co.us by providing name, birth date and the zip code of one’s current physical address.
Denison Appointed to Gunnison Basin Roundtable
The county commissioners appointed Ridgway resident Cary Denison to the Gunnison Basin Roundtable at their March 10 meeting. Nine basin roundtables represent each of the state’s major river basins and facilitate discussion on and develop solutions to water management issues locally and throughout the state.
Denison’s term will expire in May 2012.
Denison is owner and president of Colorado Land and Water Specialists, a consulting firm focusing on water rights management, augmentation plans, water court filings, mapping, hydrologic measurements, wetlands delineations, and water diversion project management.
The next meeting of the Gunnison Basin Roundtable is Monday, April 7, from 4-7 p.m. at the Hampton Inn, 1980 N. Townsend in Montrose.
by Christopher Pike1 day 3 hrs ago | 30 views | 0 | 0 | OURAY – On Friday, March 7 JV Real Estate, owned by local real-estate developer John Kuijvenhoven, put an end to a lawsuit against the Ouray County Board of Commissioners by filing a “stipulation of dismissal with prejudice.”
The lawsuit sought revisions to an amended plat for the Cornerstone Subdivision that was approved by the county commissioners in October 2007.
Kuijvenhoven said the commissioners ignored a provision in a 2004 development agreement inked by the county and JV Real Estate that required all streets, roads and driveways within the development to be privately owned and maintained. He contended that an October 2007 amendment to the Cornerstone final plat would increase traffic on Dave Wood Road and, subsequently, through his property that borders the road.
In rebuttal, County Attorney Mary Deganhart maintained that the development agreement contained adequate traffic restrictions.
Deganhart said at the March 10 meeting of the county commissioners that there were no settlement negotiations, and that the dismissal followed an answer filed by the county in late January.
County Clerk Encourages Mail Voting
With the primary and general elections approaching, Ouray County Clerk and Recorder Michelle Nauer recommended that voters consider their options – including voting by mail.
“This office is committed to making your voting experience trouble free,” she said at the commissioners’ March 10 meeting. “All voters will receive a letter from this office notifying everyone of their opportunity to receive their ballot by mail. This is optional. You may still go to the polls on Election Day, same as always, unless the legislature allows further changes.”
New to Colorado residents is the permanent vote-by-mail option.
“[Vote by mail] is the easiest way to receive your ballot,” said Nauer. “Your only responsibility is to keep this office apprised of any changes, whether it be your name, street or mailing address.”
Nauer also advised citizens to check their voter registration for accuracy by verifying that their name, address and party affiliation are correct. That can be done online at www.sos.state.co.us by providing name, birth date and the zip code of one’s current physical address.
Denison Appointed to Gunnison Basin Roundtable
The county commissioners appointed Ridgway resident Cary Denison to the Gunnison Basin Roundtable at their March 10 meeting. Nine basin roundtables represent each of the state’s major river basins and facilitate discussion on and develop solutions to water management issues locally and throughout the state.
Denison’s term will expire in May 2012.
Denison is owner and president of Colorado Land and Water Specialists, a consulting firm focusing on water rights management, augmentation plans, water court filings, mapping, hydrologic measurements, wetlands delineations, and water diversion project management.
The next meeting of the Gunnison Basin Roundtable is Monday, April 7, from 4-7 p.m. at the Hampton Inn, 1980 N. Townsend in Montrose.
Saturday, March 22, 2008
Super Day in Ridgway
The sun is shining brightly in Ouray County today. The mountain snowpack is deep and the locals are out in force traveling to the backcountry to get some spring skiing in. There is a steady stream of cars snaking through Ridgway on the way to Telluride. Main street Ouray is busy with tourists walking about shopping and looking for real estate.
With investors quite nervous in the stock market, we recently have seen increased interest in Ouray, Ridgway and Ouray County property.
In 2007, the overall number of real estate transactions was down in Ouray County. Dollar values however increased. Single family sales numbers were down as well with the dollar values up. Vacant land numbers were down with the dollar values starting to increase over a drop off in 2007. The growth rate in Ouray County incresed by 10.7% over 2006 percentages. Single family median sales prices increased in Ouray County in 2007. This increase was attributable to several large dollar value sales in Ouray County last year. It seems that smart investors with cash reserves are taking advantage of the cooling real estate market nationally. Total numbers of vacant land sales declined in Ouray County in 2007. Vacant land total dollar sales increased from 2006 to 2007.
The total number of real estate sales in the City of Ouray increased 40% over 2006. Dollar sales volume in Ouray increased as well. Ouray saw a 8.75% decrease in the median sales price for the year.
The Town of Ridgway has seen a steady decline in the single-family dollar sales growth rate since 2004. Median sales prices however increased in the town of Ridgway.
With investors quite nervous in the stock market, we recently have seen increased interest in Ouray, Ridgway and Ouray County property.
In 2007, the overall number of real estate transactions was down in Ouray County. Dollar values however increased. Single family sales numbers were down as well with the dollar values up. Vacant land numbers were down with the dollar values starting to increase over a drop off in 2007. The growth rate in Ouray County incresed by 10.7% over 2006 percentages. Single family median sales prices increased in Ouray County in 2007. This increase was attributable to several large dollar value sales in Ouray County last year. It seems that smart investors with cash reserves are taking advantage of the cooling real estate market nationally. Total numbers of vacant land sales declined in Ouray County in 2007. Vacant land total dollar sales increased from 2006 to 2007.
The total number of real estate sales in the City of Ouray increased 40% over 2006. Dollar sales volume in Ouray increased as well. Ouray saw a 8.75% decrease in the median sales price for the year.
The Town of Ridgway has seen a steady decline in the single-family dollar sales growth rate since 2004. Median sales prices however increased in the town of Ridgway.
Wednesday, March 19, 2008
Ridgway Real Estate trends 2007
Spring has almost sprung here in the Uncompahgre River Valley. The sun was shining brightly today and the snow covered San Juan Mountains looked spectacularly white. Temps hovered in the upper 50's on main street and locals were out in shorts wandering about. It was good to open up the door here in the Real Estate Office. Hopefully the sun will melt off more of the winters snow so that we can start showing property again soon!!
The Town of Ridgway Colorado saw declining real estate dollar sales in 2007 as well as declining single family home sales. The median sales price of a home however increased from $354,000 to $395,000. This was a trend that was experienced in the City of Ouray in 2006. The trend in the City of Ouray was completely different. In Ouray the average single family home price dropped 20% while the number of single family home sales almost tripled.
In either case, both Ridgway and Ouray provide outstanding real estate values for the investor looking for refuge from the Stock Market. With average single family home prices hovering in the $1000 to $1500 per square foot in Telluride, the $250 per square foot price in Ridgway/Ouray seems like a bargain.
EERE
The Town of Ridgway Colorado saw declining real estate dollar sales in 2007 as well as declining single family home sales. The median sales price of a home however increased from $354,000 to $395,000. This was a trend that was experienced in the City of Ouray in 2006. The trend in the City of Ouray was completely different. In Ouray the average single family home price dropped 20% while the number of single family home sales almost tripled.
In either case, both Ridgway and Ouray provide outstanding real estate values for the investor looking for refuge from the Stock Market. With average single family home prices hovering in the $1000 to $1500 per square foot in Telluride, the $250 per square foot price in Ridgway/Ouray seems like a bargain.
EERE
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