A free summer concert series will return to the Basalt River Park every Wednesday night from June 19 to Aug. 28.
In 2023, the Town of Basalt cut the ribbon at Basalt River Park and kicked off a wildly successful first season of free concerts. “We saw crowds of more than 500 people show up to some of the shows and we witnessed a wide range of participants, from infants to esteemed octogenarians, locals to visitors from afar,” said planning director Michelle Thibeault.
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This year, music lovers can look forward to a strong lineup as well as enhanced lighting and on-stage sound. The concerts begin at 5:30pm and each performance will feature a Colorado-based supporting act followed by a 30-minute break before the headliner.
June 19 – Queen Bees, Sunny War
June 26 – Feeding Giants, Annabelle’s Curse
July 10 – Dan Sheridan, Magic Beans
July 17 – The Know Bodies Band, Dangermuffin
July 24 – Highway 82, Peach St. Revival
July 31 – Sittin’ on Strings, Futurebirds
Aug. 7 – The Low End, Rootbeer Richie & the Reveille
Aug. 14 – Aggie Flores, Karina Rykman
Aug. 21 – Jon Rubio, Los Mocochetes
Aug. 28 – Elk Range, Dragondeer
New this year is another music series called Local Vocals, a smaller affair every other Friday at Triangle Park in Willits. This series begins May 31 and continues through Sept. 6 at 5:30pm.
May 31 – Emotional Rescue
June 14 – Tommy the Animal
June 28 – Valle Musico
July 12 – Grupo Ascenso
July 26 – Whiskey Stomp
Aug. 2 – Chris Banc
Aug. 23 – Sweet Jessup
Sept. 6 – Wooden Rock
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Council actions
The star event of the May 14 meeting was the declaration of June as Pollinator Month. Lisa McKenzie of Basalt Elementary School presented the proclamation, accompanied by many youth from the school’s Pollinator Club.
Beginning last January, the Pollinator Club met every other week to appreciate and learn more about the pollinator species which perform a crucial role for ecosystems and agriculture.
One of the club’s major projects was to bring the Pollinator Month proclamation to Town Council so Basalt can formally recognize the importance of protecting and supporting these critical species. Each council member took turns reading a paragraph before signing the proclamation and handing it off to the club’s dutiful ecosystem defenders.
Next, the council reviewed Basalt’s Water Utility Master Plan (WUMP). In 2022, Town staff and a consultant team began working diligently to prepare a planning document for annual water system improvements, budgeting and discussion with developers. In addition, the WUMP assesses and analyzes current water infrastructure and utility rates and makes recommendations on how to change water rates to help fund the system as a whole.
In their assessment, the team noted that while the system as a whole has the capacity to meet current and future needs, there are elements in need of repair as soon as possible. Those range from repairs and improvements to the roofs of the hydro plant and water treatment plant to repairing damaged storage tanks. All of these projects are outlined in a capital improvement section of the WUMP, which also outlines potential funding avenues for these projects.
While the WUMP is simply a guiding document and its adoption does not necessitate any further action, Town Engineer Catherine Christoff noted that its approval by Town Council will aid in acquiring grants for any future developments in the water system.
The next item approved was a contract with Z Group Architecture and Interior Design for the design and entitlement services on a new affordable housing project. Z Group, which has most recently completed the modern-looking line of apartments next to Basalt River Park, has provided the Town with an approximately $306,000 bid for design, public outreach and entitlement for an affordable housing development on the empty lot beside the rugby field on East Valley Road. Z Group included Habitat for Humanity as a consultant on their team to help cater this project to the needs of the affordable housing market.
Currently, Z Group estimates that the planning and entitlement project will take between 12 and 18 months, so ground is unlikely to be broken on the lot until well into 2025.
The Town is excited about this project due to the competency and experience of the team, the housing being located beside open space and simply because it will make a dent in Basalt’s continuing need for affordable housing.