City begins bridge awareness effort
The City of Aspen’s outreach campaign to let people know about the status of the long-discussed Aspen entrance, known as the “New Castle Creek Bridge” conversation, kicked off last week with six events over the course of a week.
So far, this initial phase of outreach events has reached over 150 people from the Rotary Club of Aspen, the Hunter Creek Homeowners Association, the media and the general public through presentations, online and in person. , and a weekend site visit, depending on the city. .
During this initial phase of the project, city staff said they will continue to offer community events and small group meetings through mid-December and again in January, including open houses. in-person and virtual, site visits, contextual events and small group presentations to neighborhood groups. Upcoming public events are an open house at Aspen City Hall on Wednesday from 6-8 p.m. and a site visit on Thursday from noon-2 p.m.
“The initial level of interest we’ve received from the community is positive,” said Deputy City Manager Diane Foster, co-lead on the project. “This project will have a significant impact on all members of our community, including those who live in Aspen, and especially those who live near the proposed design plan. Our goal is to provide community members with a variety of opportunities to learn about the history and future of Castle Creek Bridge – at any level, and according to their personal interests and employment of time.
“It’s important that our community responds to the need for a new bridge — now,” said Trish Aragon, municipal engineer and co-director of the project. “The existing Castle Creek Bridge is 62 years old and was designed to last 75 years – until 2036. And it takes eight to 12 years from planning to building a new bridge, which is the reason for relaunching the conversation. Ultimately, the voters of Aspen will be the ones to decide how we move forward to address the situation.
More information about the project, including background, a five-minute video, concept renders, and a schedule of upcoming public events, can be found at CastleCreekBridge.com.
Kids First program adds child care providers
The City of Aspen’s Kids First program announced local partnerships to expand child care capacity in the community. Little Steps College at Aspen Colorado Mountain College and the Ajax Cubs for Mountain Kids at Aspen’s Yellow Brick Building are now accepting families into their programs.
“It’s a win-win situation when the city is able to make progress toward the city council’s goal of increasing childcare capacity by finding local talent to enter that space,” said said Megan Monaghan, co-director of Kids First. “We are delighted that months of work and investment behind the scenes have brought these opportunities to the community before the end of the year.”
Last year the town began designing and renovating indoor and outdoor space on the Aspen CMC campus to open a child care business that can accommodate eight children. At the same time, Kids First was looking for a qualified and licensed child care provider to run the centre. Kids First serves as an early childhood resource center supporting affordable, quality child care choices in Aspen and Pitkin County, city officials said.
Little Steps College at Aspen CMC will open this month under the direction of Dana Ruiz. Ruiz was born and raised in the Roaring Fork Valley. She started at Faith Lutheran Child Care Center, where she graduated as an early childhood teacher. She has three years of experience and says she is excited to open her own child care program.
Little Steps will provide care for infants aged eight weeks up to 18 months of age. Based on its contractual agreement, Little Steps will serve children funded by the Colorado Childcare Assistance Program on a first-come, first-served basis. When daycare spaces are available, priority is given to the children of CMC faculty and staff, up to three spaces. Then the spaces can be filled by the General publicofficials said.
For more information email [email protected].
Ajax Cubs will also be opening this winter, offering preschool services (ages 3-5), toddler care (ages 18 months to 3 years old) and babysitting (2 to 18 months) in the Yellow Brick Building in Aspen. Ajax Cubs was founded by the management of Ajax Adventure Camp, a local summer camp focused on outdoor adventure.
Ajax Cubs staff, including founders Oliver Umpleby and Liz Beckwith, are qualified to offer a blend of traditional early childhood education philosophies with adventure and outdoor exploration to create an experience well-suited for families in Aspen, city officials said. Interested families can complete an interest form at ajaxcubs.com/.
For more information on Kid First programs, visit aspen.gov/235/Kids-First.
Short term tax collections start with the new year in Carbondale
On November 8, Carbondale voters passed Ballot Number 2A to impose a tax of 6% of the gross rental price paid by customers of short-term rental accommodation, effective January 1, 2023.
This includes any service charges or fees. Proceeds from the short-term rental tax will be used to fund affordable and accessible housing.
Owners of short-term rental properties in Carbondale will be required to submit payment to the city through the city’s current software system, called MuniRevs, due on the 20th of each month. City staff said they are working with the software vendor to develop this new tax in software and will send additional information about the collection process as it becomes available.
If you already have lodging taxes paid to the city through Airbnb, Vrbo, or a similar third-party platform, contact those entities to arrange collection and payment of the additional tax to the City of Carbondale, officials said. the city.
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