“This mountain has a lot of secrets to give up still,” Robert Congdon remarked, approaching the entrance to Mystic Eagle Quarry with his canine companion, ZuZu. After ceasing operations in 2003 to resolve legal disputes, the mine is slowly returning to action behind large tan metal doors, tucked uphill of a cabin visible from Avalanche […]
Pitkin county
Posted inColumns
CVEPA Views: A conundrum, pure and simple
The news of the massive methane leaks emanating from the abandoned Coal Basin Mine above Redstone for years was shocking to many, but not to all. Anyone familiar with the Mid-Continent Coal and Coke (MCCC) mine knows that it was one of the most gaseous mines in the West.The horrific gas blast of April 15, […]
Posted inNews
Coalition compares Summit County successes with local affordable housing efforts
Breckenridge’s long history of creating a vibrant affordable housing program could prove to be a valuable model as the new West Mountain Regional Housing Coalition looks to up its game in the Roaring Fork Valley and Garfield County.A big difference, though, is the nearly two dozen deed-restricted housing projects and a successful buy-down program in […]
Posted inNews
Grinches scrape by on Crystal River Road
Mail tampering and parcel theft has been a pain in the side of many Crystal Valley residents, and left empty spaces under their Christmas trees. Local law enforcement is charging people when they can, but also have their hands somewhat tied. The Pitkin County Sheriff’s Office (PCSO) held a Zoom meeting at the end of […]
Posted inEnvironment
Crystal River augmentation study raises hopes and concerns
Just downstream of the confluence of Avalanche Creek and the Crystal River, a 50-acre floodplain has become a site of optimism — and controversy — among water users in the Crystal River Valley. Early this summer, the West Divide Water Conservancy District and the Colorado River Water Conservation District published a report on a joint […]
Posted inNews, Opinion, Uncategorized
Gentrification and property taxes
A home is the most significant investment most people will make in their lifetime and often affords stability and security within one’s community. At the same time, second-home buyers and investors purchasing single-family homes can inflate the housing market, causing prices and property taxes to escalate. When this happens, longtime locals cash in or dig […]
Posted inNews, Uncategorized
Thompson Creek Road: Whose land is it, anyway?
Locals and out-of-towners alike enjoy the pristine beauty of South, Middle and North Thompson Creek, but the jurisdictional and property lines can cause some confusion. Earlier this summer, a lot of Facebook attention was focused on the area due to assumed partiers along the road heading to North Thompson. About a quarter of a mile […]
Posted inNews, Uncategorized
RCA airs concerns over county’s permit requirement
Redstone’s Fourth of July parade is just around the corner, and this year it’s going to look a bit different. As locals have seen with the Carbondale Wild West Rodeo, growth has given way to more structure in what is ceasing to be the Wild West. The Aspen Daily News printed a story on June […]
Posted inNews, Uncategorized
Homeless collaborative receives massive grant
The Valley Alliance to End Homelessness (VAEH) is made up of a group of organizations with a mission to do just what its name implies: end homelessness in the tri-county area. West Mountain Regional Health Alliance (WMRHA) was awarded $2,743,690 through the Transformational Homelessness Response Grant Program (THRGP), within the Colorado Department of Local Affairs […]
Posted inColumns, Opinion, Uncategorized
CVEPA Views: John Osgood, Pitkin County and the Battle at Red Wind Point
The first whites in the Crystal Valley traveled on the Ute Trail, as well documented by the Hayden surveys in 1873. Whites brought with them the wheel, and no sooner than the first homesteads were staked, petitions began flowing into the nascent Pitkin County clerk’s office requesting a wagon road. The 1886 petitioners included Myron […]