Glenwood Springs sales tax revenue increased nearly 9 percent in the first 11 months of 2005 over the same period in 2004. But sales in some categories, most notably building materials and supplies, increased more than 30 percent over the previous year.

The city's records also show that accommodations tax revenues increased by 19.8 percent in November over those garnered in November 2004. Accommodations tax revenues have been increasing by at least 2 percentage points each month since August.

Overall, accommodations tax revenues were up 10.19 percent for 2005 through November over the first 11 months of 2004.

The Carbondale Economic Roadmap Group (RMG) put 13 recommendations on the table to help maintain Carbondale's character and ensure its economic prosperity. The RMG spent 15 months and put countless hours into preparing the document.

The report outlines various development scenarios for the Crystal River Marketplace property created by consultant Economic and Planning Systems (EPS).

The RMG has also outlined a 10-year capital investment strategy for the town. The plan includes spending millions of dollars on street maintenance and repair to protect the town's investment in infrastructure, including more than $1 million on traffic and trails connectivity, $1.5 million for securing and improving the Carbondale Elementary School for the proposed Community Partnership Village, another $2 million for acquiring key properties, and several million for Highway 133 improvements.

The Roadmap also recognizes a need for more retail growth in Carbondale. "There is a huge potential for more commercial growth. What the (RMG) is saying is that it needs to be slower, more directed growth that meets the community's needs," said Town Manager Tom Baker.

Town trustees will now decide which recommendations to adopt and put into the town code to guide future development.

The entire RMG document is available at Town Hall along with a Draft Implementation Plan. The document is also available on the town's Web site (www.carbondal egov.org).

Nearly 215,000 more people rode RFTA buses in 2005 than in the previous year, an unprecedented surge that has packed buses during rush hour and left transit officials scrambling to find solutions.

Bus ridership for the Highway 82 corridor in December alone leapt 20 percent, leaving many passengers standing in the aisle during the sometimes hour-long crawl on Main Street in Aspen. About 96,000 more people were on buses on Highway 82 in 2005 than in 2004, a 6 percent increase, according to Roaring Fork Transportation Authority figures.

Last month set an all-time record for bus riders in the Highway 82 corridor. In December, 209,069 people rode RFTA on Highway 82. December accounted for almost 13 percent of the agency's total annual ridership.

The Citizen Telegram reports that for the first time in more than 20 years, Rifle is seeing not just one new lodging facility, but two.

Rifle City Council members approved the annexation and zoning for a new hotel in south Rifle on Jan. 4, which is also slated to have a family-style restaurant.

The yet unnamed franchise hotel will have three stories and 85 rooms, and will include an indoor pool, according to city planning director Matt Sturgeon.

“They still need to bring the site plan for the hotel and restaurant, but the developers want to move pretty aggressively,” Sturgeon said. “They hope to be under construction this spring.”

Earlier this year, the city approved construction of a new La Quinta hotel on two-and-a-half acres behind Choice Liquors and Sonic Drive-In off Airport Road in south Rifle. Construction is currently underway on the three-story building, which will have between 60 and 70 rooms and is expected to open around April.

Ford Frick of BBC Research and Consulting of Denver recently presented preliminary findings of the land values and solutions study to the Garfield County's Energy Advisory Board.

The study is examining and modeling the factors that shape land values in Garfield County.

After gathering data about land sales in the county, Frick's team has come up with a number of factors that appear to influence selling prices of properties. Among them are their proximity to Pitkin County, views of Mount Sopris and size of the property. The study team is also learing more about the effect of land values of the oil and gas activity.

One perception is that oil and gas drilling and production have devalued property in the areas of most intense drilling. Preliminary data shows that drilling does have a negative effect on property values, but only during that phase of development.

Full study results should be available in the spring.

The Post Independent ran two stories on what will likey be a hot topic during the 2006 legislative session - the rights of surface owners in face of the increased in oil and gas drilling.

State Rep. Kathleen Curry, D-Gunnison, is preparing to introduce new surface-use legislation following the failure of a bill she carried last year.

Meanwhile, the energy industry is working with agriculture interests in hopes of pursuing their own legislation.

As the law stands now, owners of mineral rights pretty much can do what they want. If they don’t reach an agreement with owners of surface rights, they can simply post a bond and start to drill.

Curry's measure last year was defeated in the House Agriculture, Livestock and Natural Resources Committee, which Curry chairs. Her new measure has been drafted by a coalition that includes associations representing homebuilders and Realtors, and several environmental organizations, including the Grand Valley Citizens Alliance, based in Garfield County.

As the surface use compensation issue returns for debate this year, more lawmakers are apt to be sympathetic to the plight of landowners. The issue has gotten increasing attention on the Front Range in recent months after the industry pursued authority to increase drilling density in Weld County.

Read the full articles:
Surface-use compensation issue resurfaces in legislature, 1-10-2006
Surface issue may go to voters, 1-11/2006

Thanks to countless contributions of time and money, the Thunder River Theatre Company’s. new building in downtown Carbondale opened this month.

The $1.25 million, 11,300 square feet the black box theater opened with Thunder River Theatre's sold out adaptation of “Lysistrata,” Aristophones’ 411 B.C. comedy about women protesting the Peloponnesian War — then in its 20th year — by going on a sex strike.

The theatre is also already booked for musical performances as well. Musicians David Wilcox, Tim O’Brien, Vince Herman & Great American Taxi, and the CU Jazz Faculty & District 8 Honor Students Concert will perform in the coming months.

Every once in a while a project happens in a community that you just have to "Wow" about. This is one of them. Kudos to all involved.

The year-long rewrite of Pitkin County's land-use code is ready for the public's review. The code regulates development and land use in the county.

This marks the first time in more than 10 years that Pitkin County has reviewed and updated its code. Major changes include incentives for preservation of air and water quality and to conserve larger tracts of land. The public hearings on the draft begin this month.

Copies are available on compact disc for $7 each. Call the Community Development Department at 920-5526. Hard copies of the code may also be purchased at Main Street Reprographics, 616 E. Hyman Ave. The document is also online at www.aspenpitkin.com/depts/7/plan_landuse .cfm.

The Colorado Health Institute's (CHI) second annual profile of uninsured Coloradans finds that Colorado’s uninsured rate has not changed significantly in the last five years.

Unfortunately this still means that about 770,000 people (17.1%) lacked health insurance in 2003-04. Colorado continues to exceed the national average of 15.7 percent.

The CHI study shows that certain populations are more likely to be uninsured than others. Young adults between the ages of 18 and 34 accounted for the largest proportion of uninsured Coloradans – 39.5 percent -- in 2002-04. Most disturbing is that three- fourths of Colorado’s uninsured adult population between the ages of 18 and 64 had jobs at some time during the year.

On a related note health note, La Plata County is considering a ballot question to voters this spring to create a health district. The property tax based fund would support more preventive-care programs, increase mental-health services,and work to attract more primary-care providers.

Watershed Collaborative Water Group will hold a meeting on January 24, 2006 at the Eagle County Building, El Jebel from 9am-noon.

Agenda items include adoption of revised mission statement and objectives, statewide water initiative updates (including HB 05-1177 and the SWSI process). For more information contact:

• Sharon Clarke, Roaring Fork Conservancy
• Rose Ann Sullivan, Pitkin County
• Andrea Holland-Sears, White River National Forest

The New Partners for Smart Growth Conference is the "premier" smart growth conference in the U.S and this year the venue is Denver.

If you are interested in how to shape growth in ways that build communities and local economies, this event is well worth your time.

Each year, the Rocky Mountain Land Use Institute puts on the largest land use law conference in the United States.

The 2006 conference includes speakers such as Dr. Patrick Gregory Moore, co-founder of Greenpeace; Dick Lamm, former Governor of Colorado; and, Elizabeth Plater-Zyberk, Dean of the University of Miami School of Planning and a Principle of the New Urbanist planning firm Duany Plater-Zyberk & Company (DPZ).