Council nixes Burlingame investigation

by Curtis Wackerle, Aspen Daily News Staff Writer
After being petitioned to appoint a special investigator to get to the bottom of the Burlingame brochure debacle, Aspen City Council said enough is already being done to regain public trust.

During public comment at Monday’s meeting, Marilyn Marks seconded a call for an investigation into what caused the “breakdown in communication” that led to a brochure being disseminated prior to the 2005 vote that didn’t disclose many of Burlingame’s costs.

Bidwell’s back, faces questions

by Curtis Wackerle, Aspen Daily News Staff Writer
The Bidwell building is back with a scaled down plan that council members said was an improvement over the building that they denied in May. But Monday’s meeting put the spotlight on another line of skepticism directed at the construction impacts of demolishing and rebuilding on what is one of Aspen’s most prominent corners.

The owners of the Bidwell building, also known as the Mountain Plaza building, at the corner of Galena Street and Cooper Avenue seek to replace the existing structure with a new building. A three-story, 27,000-square-foot plan was shot down by the council in May over concerns about height, scale and massing. The new plan pulls the third story 30 feet to 40 feet back from the building’s edge and carves out a 1,000-square-foot rectangular public amenity space at the building’s corner.

Gas soars past $5; drivers rein it in

Aspen Daily News Staff Report, Aspen Daily News Staff Writer
As gas prices took another stratospheric leap yesterday in Aspen, locals and visitors stopping by the Aspen Shell station said they are filling their tanks begrudgingly or not at all.

Regular unleaded cost $5.13 per gallon at the Aspen Shell station on Monday, 14 cents higher than it was last week, and more than $1 above the national average of $4.11 reported by AAA.

Asphalt shortage delaying CDOT projects statewide

by David Frey, Aspen Daily News Correspondent
A shortage of high-grade asphalt is hammering the state transportation department, forcing crews to delay or revamp nearly three dozen road projects around the state, including one on Highway 82 at Basalt.

The shortage is so severe, it means almost no asphalt at all that meets the grade for CDOT road projects.

Green meetings are today

Aspen Daily News Staff Report, Aspen Daily News Correspondent
The town of Snowmass Village is hosting a second day of public sustainability workshops today in Town Hall, with the goal of drafting a publicly created sustainability plan.

All are welcome to the workshops, which are from 11 a.m.-1 p.m. and 5-7 p.m. and build off the work done in an earlier set of workshops attended by about 50 people on July 1.

Listening for form

Aspen Daily News Staff Report, Aspen Daily News Correspondent
Listening for form
The most-performed composer in the history of the Aspen Music Festival is none other than Ludwig van Beethoven (1770-1827). This shouldn’t be surprising, since he is the most-performed composer at all concert venues worldwide. But because our festival has always championed new music, (what other music festival can offer so many world premieres?), we are sometimes surprised to hear that Beethoven remains our most popular composer.

Presenting … the obvious!

by Steve Skinner, Aspen Daily News Columnist
The Sopris Foundation has once again looked under the valley’s thick pile carpet and revealed that yes, there is a monster in the room, and yes, the monster is gobbling resources for what might be argued to be “no good reason.” Unless you think that gobbling resources to heat a floor that might not see footsteps for years a good thing. In that case, just skip to the horoscope page now.

Last year, the Sopris Foundation studied Aspen and found our little mining town had nearly 60 percent second homes, vacant on average 277 days per year. Findings in Snowmass tip the scales a little further, but that is to be expected in what is and has always been a resort town. I was in Beaver Creek on Sunday and got a bit lost. The rows and rows of empty town homes, houses, and condos cast an otherworldly feel to the place. As the real estate markets dip and dive and crash and tumble you have to wonder, “What will happen here?” Is there still a really long line of wealthy people willing to spend the money for a vacant trophy, knowing what we know?

Anywhere becomes everywhere

Aspen Daily News Staff Report, Aspen Daily News Columnist
Editor’s note: Richard Cohen is on vacation. He will return later this month.

I spent the July 4th weekend in my own Americana cliche: I relaxed in the humid heartland, drank one too many alcoholic beverages (screwdrivers), ate at a chain restaurant (Noodles & Company), played with my dog (a golden retriever mix), and attended Hollywood’s latest paean to mediocrity (Will Smith’s “Hancock”). I was in the bucolic suburbs of Lafayette, Ind., but really, I could have been anywhere or everywhere in America — which is both satisfying and troubling.

Good times at AVSC picnic

Aspen Daily News Staff Report, Aspen Daily News Columnist
Editor:

We at the Aspen Valley Ski & Snowboard Club had a blast at our 13th annual Fourth of July community picnic. It was so nice to see everyone relaxing and having a good time. AVSC wants to thank all of our friends, sponsors, supporters and volunteers for making this a fun and affordable event.

Emzy calls for open government

Aspen Daily News Staff Report, Aspen Daily News Columnist
Editor:

It would behoove Aspen City Hall to hire an independent firm to do a performance audit concerning Burlingscam.

Garfield County well defended

Aspen Daily News Staff Report, Aspen Daily News Columnist
Editor:

How long did it take Sheriff Lou Vallario to figure out spending $50,000 per year to run a program that brings in $36,000 per year does not fit the definition of revenue? Oh well, Lou says it’s just pocket change.

Another rush to war

Aspen Daily News Staff Report, Aspen Daily News Columnist
Editor:

It’s déjà vu all over again. Listen to the rhetoric about Iran. It’s just what we heard before the attack on Iraq.

Two wars is enough

Aspen Daily News Staff Report, Aspen Daily News Columnist
Editor:

The most important issue for the next president is — or ought to be — dealing with our open-ended warfare commitments in Iraq and Afghanistan, and how to bring them to a satisfactory conclusion.