State Demographer Jim Westkott's office forecast that the population of six resort counties — Eagle, Summit, Pitkin, Garfield, Grand and Routt — will grow from the present 192,000 to 389,000 by 2030.

"There is enough of a market out there to fill up all the land," Westkott told a meeting of the Northwest Colorado Council of Governments, which is comprised of leaders from communities from around Colorado's high country. He said his population estimate doesn't include thousands of second-home owners, skiers or other tourists.

The area is so popular that industries of old — mining, logging — have been replaced by tourism and the building of second homes.

Westkott said the only thing that could stop the growth would be the political will created by a mess resulting from uncontrolled growth that could include long commutes, traffic delays, and other big city ailments, along with crowded hiking trails and destroyed views.

As of May, Garfield County surpassed Weld in the number of new drilling permits issued for natural gas wells. Through the first five months of the year, Garfield drillers obtained 552 permits, 164 more than in Weld. And, Garfield wells are producing 4 percent more gas per day so far this year.

Historically, Weld County, which sits in the Denver- Julesberg Basin, registered about one-third of all permits issued in the state each year. Rankings for total production in the state are led by La Plata County in southwest Colorado.

So far this year, Garfield has more drilling rig activity than any other county, averaging 30 more than Weld.

The key factor in Garfield's rise to prominence is the escalating price of natural gas - which have more than doubled since 2002. Additionally, exploration firms have figured out how to reach more gas deposits due to new drilling technology.

A three day workshop lead by Dan Burden and Troy Russ has some Glenwood citizens re-thinking their approach to traffic through town and planning a calmer, slower future for Grand Avenue.

The most visible recommendation was a series of roundabouts to slow traffic through town but keep it moving. Burden offered sketches of Sixth and Laurel, where a roundabout could create a smoother flow off and on Interstate 70.

Another roundabout could go in at Grand Avenue and 23rd Street on the south edge of town. Both would alert drivers to slow down when coming into Glenwood.

Raised medians planted with greenery would help keep traffic moving slowly. Burden also suggested a landscaped “island” at the base of the Grand Avenue bridge as both a gateway to town and a signal that slower speeds were in force. Even more important than slowing traffic on Grand is making it a safer place to walk and bike, Burden said.

The Vail Valley Foundation announced it had raised the $6 million match to buy the 72-acre property along the Eagle River in Edwards.

With an initial boost of $6 million from Eagle County earlier this year, Foundation officials had until Sept. 1 to raise the balance of the money.

While the fund-raising effort has hit its goal of finding the $12 million purchase price, more donations are needed for closing costs and minimal improvements such as trails, some parking, and better access to the river.

When the sale is final, the Vail Valley Foundation will then give the land to the county with an easement to ensure the land will never be developed.

The effort to preserve the property came with some controversy. Critics said the price for the parcel was too high, and were especially wary of the county’s $6 million contribution, which came from the county’s dedicated open space fund, and cleaned out the $3.8 million in the account. To get to $6 million, the county used $2.2 million from this year’s general fund.

Surveys completed by a community task force, which includes representatives of the Colorado Nurses Association, Action Coalition for Medical Excellence, Valley Wide Health Systems, Mercy Medical Center, United Way of Southwest Colorado, San Juan Basin Health Department, the League of Women Voters, Rocky Mountains Health Plan and the La Plata County Medical Society, is helping frame an effort to create a county wide health district.

Some of the task force's recommendations include:

• Create a health-service district that would be funded by a property-tax increase. The tax revenue or financial support public or private groups could subsidize primary care, for example at San Juan Basin Health Department or the community health clinic currently operated by Valley Wide Health Systems clinics.
• Urge La Plata County Medical Society members to devise a fair-share plan so no single practitioner has a disproportionate number of indigent, uninsured, underinsured, Medicare or Medicaid patients.
• Establish a challenge fund through which business groups, charitable organizations and government agencies could match dollar donations from private physician groups, Mercy Medical Center or Valley Wide Health Systems to recruit health-care providers in deficit categories.

A health-care district would require approval by elected officials and a judge before it could go on a ballot. The earliest the proposal could be put to voters would be May 2006.

Western Resource Advocates, Trout Unlimited and the Colorado Environmental Coalition have released a report on how to satisfy demands for water along the Front Range for the next 25 years.

Facing Our Future: A Balanced Water Solution for Colorado presents approaches for increasing the Front Range’s water supply faster with less harm to the environment and much less controversy than traditional "supply side" water projects have faced in the past.

Examples strategies include:

• improving urban residential water conservation, both indoors and outdoors
• improving cooperation between water providers, including the joint maintenance or operation of water supply infrastructure
• greater “sharing” of water between different types of users, through temporary transfers
• boosting reuse of already developed water supplies
• expansion or rehabilitation of existing dams, reservoirs, and diversion structures
• construction of a few, strategically located new storage facilities

Elected official, citizens, business leaders, and planners from all perspectives will head to Salt Lake City, Utah this September for a mix of inspiration, networking, and case studies on the role of transit in building livable communites.

This two day finance training, offerd by the Colorado Division of Housing, is designed for nonprofit and housing authority staff seeking financing strategies to acquire or construct affordable housing units.

The workshop uses case studies to illustrate various tools and approaches Sources of funding explored during the workshop for rental finance include private activity bonds, 9% LIHTC, bank qualified tax exempt financing, guidance lines, and DOH and Colorado Housing Finance Authority loan products.

Space is limited so contact Dayna Ashley-Oehm for more information ASAP - phone 303.237.7682 / email: dayna@csicolorado.org.

COLORADO TOMORROW 2005 is a day long conference for planners, developers, environmentalists, architects, landscape architects, engineers and others concerned about imagining and working towards the realization of a more livable Colorado tomorrow.