Employee mitigation fee may sextuple

by Brent Gardner-Smith, Aspen Daily News Staff Writer

Developers of large, luxurious vacation homes in Pitkin County may soon be paying $225,257 per employee, or six times more than the current standard, to offset the cost of affordable housing for employees generated by a residence. That’s up from $34,173 per employee, a figure set in 2005.

“No one has to pay this if they create their own units or buy down other units,” said Pitkin County Commissioner Rachel Richards during a recent work session on a draft ordinance that would change the impact fee.

Local among Clinton holdouts

by Andrew Travers, Aspen Daily News Staff Writer

Editor’s note: Aspen Daily News Reporter Andrew Travers and Photo Editor Zach Ornitz will be in Denver all week providing localized coverage of the Democratic National Convention. Also check out the “Live Coverage From DNC” link in the upper-left column of our Web page — www.aspendailynews.com — for other notes, quotes and photos rounded up at the convention.

Council mulls Cooper St. settlement

by Catherine Lutz, Aspen Daily News Staff Writer

How can a city government guarantee that a proposed restaurant and bar remain occupied and affordable in a place with such stratospheric real estate costs as Aspen?

That’s what Aspen City Council is trying to figure out as it negotiates a proposed settlement with the Cooper Street Pier building owners, who were rejected last year in their bid to redevelop the property where one of Aspen’s last remaining working-class watering holes remains. The owners, which include local commercial landlords Ron Garfield and Andy Hecht, sued the city over its denial in December.

East end housing project stalls

by Catherine Lutz, Aspen Daily News Staff Writer

A public-private partnership that would replace a couple of ramshackle apartment buildings in Aspen’s east end with a mix of free-market and affordable housing still needs a lot of work, Aspen City Council said Monday night.

The council stopped short of granting conceptual approval for a project called Aspen Walk when at least three of the council members said they weren’t prepared to vote yes. Major concerns include the size and mass of the redevelopment, whether there should be a mix of rental and for-sale employee units, and parking.

AVH to open urgent care clinic in Basalt

by Brent Gardner-Smith, Aspen Daily News Staff Writer

Residents who live in the midvalley will soon be able go to a new medical clinic to treat injuries and symptoms that require a doctor’s care but don’t warrant a trip to an emergency room in Aspen or Glenwood Springs.

Aspen Valley Hospital expects to open an “urgent care” facility this fall in Basalt on Cody Lane, behind the Basalt park-and-ride lot.

Council pay to be discussed today

Aspen Daily News Staff Report, Aspen Daily News Staff Writer
Discussion on a potential pay raise ballot issue for Aspen City Council will continue at today’s work session, beginning at 4 p.m.

The pay issue was at the tail end of a long City Council meeting last night, and generated some debate and short tempers. Councilman Jack Johnson brought forward the idea of voting on a pay raise, arguing that the voters should decide what their elected officials’ pay should be, not the council, which can currently choose to raise pay only for future council members.

Paving to begin in El Jebel-Willits area

Aspen Daily News Staff Report, Aspen Daily News Staff Writer
The Colorado Department of Transportation will begin a resurfacing project on State Highway 82 between mile 17.5 and mile 21 in the El Jebel-Willits area a week from today, Tuesday, Sept. 2.

The resurfacing work will include a 1-inch leveling course of asphalt, which will be overlaid with another 2 inches of asphalt for the wearing course. The project will also include guardrail and signing improvements, and pavement markings.

Memorial for Patrick Collins on Friday

Aspen Daily News Staff Report, Aspen Daily News Staff Writer
On Friday, Aug. 29, the family and friends of Patrick Collins will come together to celebrate his life, which he lived with creative energy and love of the outdoors.

At 12:30 p.m. attendees will gather at the Basalt post office to form carpools to the special site on Independence Pass that Pat chose for his ashes. It is hoped all can join us for this, but if not possible, please join us for a reception at 3:30 p.m. on Westbank Mesa. All those who loved Pat and his family are welcome. Please call his parents, Barbara and Jack, for directions to the reception at 927-3743.

Applauding the express to Armageddon

by Steve Skinner, Aspen Daily News Columnist
Two weeks ago, Republican presidential candidate Sen. John McCain (R-Ariz.) came into the heart of the canary and called for drilling and drilling now. He did this at an Aspen Institute event at the Greenwald Pavillion tent. His call for drills was met by applause. He later called for 35 new nuclear power plants by 2030. Even more applause.

There was no press coverage of his comments and stand on global climate change even though he promised to make it a forefront campaign issue. Maybe he forgot to mention that. Meanwhile, some climate predictions put Aspen on track to have the climate of Lubbock, Texas, in mere decades. (Applause, applause, applause.)

Biden adds foreign policy credentials to Obama ticket

by Richard Cohen, Aspen Daily News Columnist
I saw another man dance with Joe Biden’s wife, Jill. It was almost three years ago, on the terrace of the sublime Villa d’Este on the shore of Italy’s stunning Lake Como, and Biden watched, smiling broadly and sometimes laughing, as the man gracefully moved Jill around the dance floor. It was late, and the guests still there looked on keenly because Jill Biden’s dancing partner was very good looking and very famous. He was John McCain.

I tell this story to suggest that if anyone — including, of course, Barack Obama — thinks that Joseph Robinette Biden Jr. is going to play the usual role given to a vice presidential candidate, hatchet man, then the wrong man has been chosen. Biden is capable of the occasional gaffe, the sentence without end, the piquant but (literally) politically incorrect statement such as the one he made during the primary campaign — Obama is “not yet ready” to be president — but he has the essential decency that once was commonplace in Washington and now, alas, is taken for weakness and lack of proper fervor. Joe Biden is a gentleman.

In line at the Pepsi Center

Aspen Daily News Staff Report, Aspen Daily News Columnist
Credentialed visitors to the Pepsi Center stand in line to pass through a security check point on Monday evening for the Democratic National Convention. The headlining speakers included Sen. Ted Kennedy, D-Mass., and Michelle Obama

Reporter's Notebook: Tuesday

Aspen Daily News Staff Report, Aspen Daily News Columnist

9 a.m. Denver wakes up to day two of the Democratic National Convention. There are definitely more people in this city than anyone has ever seen, with nightmare traffic downtown all day yesterday. Events abounded last night. Wyclef played a set at Theorie, a bar that used to be the Real World Denver house. Kanye West and Bono are also reportedly teaming up to throw one of the most exclusive parties of the week.

11:25 a.m. A clash between right wing Christians with megaphones and anarchist kids hanging out in Civic Center Park just resulted in two arrests and cops in riot gear moving through the park like a military platoon. It was hard to tell what exactly happened, but someone apparently took offense with the message of the “fascist Christians” and the protesters called them, and there was a little melee. The dozens of police officers lining the perimeter of the park moved in quickly. “It’s our park,” the protestors yelled, while the cops on horseback cleared people out of the way.

Protest kiss

Aspen Daily News Staff Report, Aspen Daily News Columnist
From left: Lesbians Keenly Shyster, 17, and Chelsea Cosby, 16, both from Denver, kiss in protest of self-declared "street preacher" Ruben Israel of Los Angeles, who was speaking out against homosexuality in the Denver city park on Tuesday. The streets of downtown Denver were teeming with various protest groups as the Democratic National Convention is taking place at the Pepsi Center

Krabloonik an embarrassment to Snowmass

Aspen Daily News Staff Report, Aspen Daily News Columnist

Editor’s note: This letter was originally addressed to Snowmass Village Town Council.

Editor:

The situation at Krabloonik is absolutely shocking. We are both shocked and dismayed to learn that the town actually leases public land to this inhumane operation. Time and time again Krabloonik has failed to comply with the law. How has this gone unchecked and continued to happen for so many years?

Club 20 is democracy at work

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

I serve on the Club 20 board along with Pitkin County Commissioner Rachel Richards and 21 other Western Slope leaders, and I had to roll my eyes at her mischaracterization of the organization as being “dominated by oil and gas interests” in the Aspen Daily News article of Aug. 18. To my knowledge, I am the only member of our board that is employed by an oil and gas company and there’s only one other member of our board whose company does consulting work for the oil and gas industry, but is also, importantly, an elected county official as is Richards.

Condi plays while the world burns

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

Aspen was recently graced with the presence of the multi-talented  Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice. The former music school student played piano before an admiring audience. If I may say so, Condi played while the world burns.

McCain’s ‘vision’ fading

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

In response to Stan Rachesky’s, letter, (Aspen Daily News, Aug. 23) full of hate, venom and wild, insane assumptions, I must ask, did Karl Rove write that letter for you? That was right out of the Republican play book of hate and fear? You ended your tirade by saying America needs a president of clear and focused vision. Would that be someone who doesn’t even know how many homes he owns, what brand of car he drives, thinks it takes $5 million a year to be “rich”? Would that be someone who often misspeaks about the combatants in Iraq, the names of former Soviet states, or will not admit the huge mistake this war has been? Have Bush’s economic policies basically been “sound” as McCain recently stated? I believe “clear vision” is coming, but it is certainly not from the oldest man to run for the White House!

Diatribe on Obama nonsensical

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

The diatribe against Sen. Obama from Steve Rachesky (ADN, Aug. 23) was prolific with nonsense.