Hoping not to spook the rest of the summer, I’m euphoric over our exceptional local weather while, unfortunately, a good part of the rest of the country is sweltering under unbearable heat, high humidity and treacherous winds.
I’m anxiously hoping for a lot more of the same great conditions, but just in case things turn ugly, there’s always the option to hole up inside with the fans blowing, the local papers or computers at the ready and an inquisitive mind looking to undercover all that the powers-that-be are up to behind our backs and how we’ll likely suffer through the consequences of their legislative and quasi-legal actions during the months ahead.
In this unfortunate case, here’s a short list of issues to be on the lookout for.
1. We’ve talked a lot recently about Pitkin County’s plans for the expansion of the Aspen airport, which could very likely come before the voters if the organized opposition is successful in putting this issue on the November or spring ballots.
There’s a good deal of credible opposition to the scale of work being proposed and whether that work will enhance or negatively impact the quality of life that most of us came here for in the first place.
Some in the pro-expansion camp worry that we’ll lose future airport funding if we don’t succumb to the guidelines proposed by the Federal Aviation Administration. Those opposed to merely giving into what they perceive as the FAA’s overreach are comfortable telling the FAA we don’t need your money if it means turning the upper valley into a more disruptive and unsafe playground for the rich and famous than it already is.
It’s relatively clear from the data that the county can raise all the funds it needs without FAA funding in order to make the necessary terminal modifications and runway repairs. The county can generate funding from the private air operations as well as the fees it receives from the commercial airlines.
The primary beneficiaries of the FAA’s dictates will be those who fly privately. The rest of us peasants who travel commercially will likely suffer even more than we do now at the mercy of the private air operations that significantly overwhelm the amount of commercial air traffic into our valley; not to mention the safety and lifestyle hazards the rest of us will endure with larger planes flying into our airport.
The commercial airlines aren’t clamoring for an airport that can support larger planes than they now fly into Aspen. They just want an operationally reliable and safe runway and a terminal that can more efficiently and comfortably accommodate their operations.
With the smartest people in the room saying we can do it on our own without negatively impacting our lifestyle and safety, or further degrading our flying experience, I’m in agreement with those who’ve suggested that we tell the FAA to “go pack sand under someone else’s airport.”
2. With an eye on Snowmass Village and the near completion of Base Village, nothing more can be done to correct the myriad design failures that past town decisionmakers either weren’t swift enough to discern early on, or perhaps some who didn’t fully buy into all the favorable guideline tenets of “just big enough.”
Unfortunately, the town staff and several members of the town council are poised to make many of the same design and operational mistakes with the proposed Draw site employee housing project.
Though totally out of sync with the village’s small-town character, overly massive for its constrained location and hugely expensive to build due to the infrastructure needed to support its mass and scale, several knowledgeable council members, planning commissioners and members of the community have proposed a downscaled single-tower design offering 40 to 50 units instead of the massive two-tower design with 80 units — which when the cost estimates come rolling in — the town won’t be able to build and operate on any reasonable basis.
A reduction in the number of units in this location makes good sense in light of the town’s likely acquisition of the buildable land behind the Snowmass Center, which looks to accommodate around 100 employee units on land more suited to such construction than the Draw site. In addition, the town-owned former Krabloonik dog sledding site is also an ideal location to build another 30 to 50 employee units along with Aspen Skiing Co.’s recently announced plans to build 30 employee units on a land parcel adjacent to Krabloonik.
All of a sudden we’re awash with all the new employee housing necessary to satisfy the town’s foreseeable needs well into the future.
3. And don’t forget the significant traffic congestion issues at the entrance to Aspen that current and past regimes of elected and appointed officials haven’t been able to solve. Hopefully the failing Castle Creek Bridge will light a fire under their butts.
It’s all so overwhelming that I think I’ll just continue praying for more good weather and I’ll keep my attention focused on more pleasant and appealing thoughts and activities.