6 minute read
BRIEFLY IN THE FOOTHILLS
BY DEB HURLEY BROBST DBROBST@COLORADOCOMMUNITYMEDIA.COM
Morrison raises parking fees e price to park in downtown Morrison has increased.
While the rst 30 minutes continue to be free, the second 30 minutes will cost $2. e second hour will cost $2, the third hour $3, the fourth hour $4 and additional hours, $5. Parking fees are enforced from 10 a.m.-8 p.m. daily.
Morrison Trustee Katie Gill at the May 2 recent board meeting said the new fee structure moves away from an extreme progression in parking fees.
“We need to strike a balance between turnover and turning people away,” Gill said, noting that the town instituted parking fees because people parked in downtown Morrison, spending the day biking in the area and not necessarily frequenting shops and restaurants.
e Morrison Town Board started a paid-parking program through Interstate Parking in June 2020 in response to businesses’ concerns about the lack of parking in downtown Morrison.
Board member Adam Way wondered whether the town could suspend parking fees during winter months when there were fewer visitors to the town, though other trustees said it would be di cult to reteach visitors to start paying parking fees after there haven’t been any for several months.
e new fee structure went into e ect on May 15.
CDOT performs emergency repair on U.S. 285
Emergency work is underway to stabilize a slope that washed out on May 12 from the recent heavy rains next to a section of northbound U.S. 285 north of Parmalee Gulch.
Colorado Department of Trans- portation maintenance crews responded to the wash out with temporary measures to prevent further damage, including a closure of the shoulder and right lane on northbound U.S. 285 from Parmalee Gulch to Highway 8.
CDOT has hired GeoStabilization International to create a temporary repair to stabilize the ground below the roadway. at work that started May 18 requires a contractor that can use equipment that sits at the roadway level and reaches down into the damaged area to install reinforcing bars into the slope below the roadway.
CDOT expects the temporary repair will be completed Friday, May 26. e agency is starting the design process for a permanent repair that will take place later in the summer. Speci c timeframes and details are not determined yet.
No Rhubarb Festival e annual Rhubarb Festival in Pine Grove will not take place this year. e Pine-Elk Creek Improvement Association, which has sponsored the event since 1988, is taking a break as it looks for more volunteers to spearhead the event, according to the PECIA website. e Rhubarb Festival, which traditionally is the second Saturday in June, includes a pancake breakfast with rhubarb syrup, a rhubarb recipe contest, and a parade and duck race. Festival funds have been used to offer a dumpster program to members, maintain a town garage, provide some road maintenance, refurbish and maintain the 1898 Community Center for public use, contribute to the enrichment of the North Fork National Historic District and create a small public park.
“For the last several years, the PECIA board has asked for new volunteers including a main coordinator,” the website said. “ e board has reached out through community meetings, newsletters and talking with individuals in town. e board has been unable to nd a new coordinator and enough new volunteers who are willing” to put on the festival.
PECIA’s board is looking for other fundraising ideas plus hoping to plan a new and smaller event for 2024.
More time for marijuana shop in Morrison e Morrison trustees on May 2 extended the deadline for another 46 days. is is the second time the board has extended the period after the original 90-day period in the contract the town signed with LivWell in December.
LivWell, one of the largest cannabis operations in the nation, will have until June 19 to complete its due diligence to determine if it wants to build and operate a marijuana shop in Morrison.
“I hope this is the last extension,” Trustee Katie Gill said. “I understand that they want to get nancing” for the project. “I trust we are more about nding nancing rather than looking at the site itself.” e Board of Trustees voted on Dec. 20 to allow LivWell to construct a retail store on a one-acre parcel it owns behind the wastewater treatment plant. e property is on the east side of C-470 at Morrison Road, east of the hogback and far away from Morrison businesses and Red Rocks Elementary School, a concern of the board and residents as they discussed allowing retail marijuana for more than a year.
LivWell, which has 21 retail stores in Colorado, expects to provide the town with between $800,000 and $1.3 million each year in sales-tax revenue, plus it will pay the town $15,000 a month to lease the property.
We’d like to know about events or activities of interest to the community. Visit www.canyoncourier.com/calendar/ and post your event online for free. Email dbrobst@coloradocommunitymedia.com to get items in the print version of the paper. Items will appear in print on a space-available basis.
FRIDAY
Puppies and Pizza: Puppies and Pizza will be from 10 a.m.-noon Friday, May 26, at Vertical Skills Academy, 32156 Castle Court, No. 201. e school will work with the Evergreen Animal Protective League to adopt puppies while raising funds for VSA.
MONDAY
Memorial Day activities: e public is invited to two Memorial Day events on May 29: e rst is at 9 a.m. at the Peace Memorial at Evergreen Memorial Park, 27054 N. Turkey Creek Road, Marshdale. Flags will be placed on veterans’ graves in the park. e second is at the memorial in Buchanan Park at 11 a.m., with the theme Today’s Military. e public is invited to participate in both events.
WEDNESDAY
Enduro Mountain Bike
Event: Team Evergreen will host an Enduro Mountain Bike event on May 31, June 7, 21, 28 and July 5 at Floyd
Hill Open Space. For more information, visit www.teamevergreen.org/ oyduro.
Upcoming
Adult grief support group: Mount Evans Home Health Care & Hospice is o ering a seven-week in-person adult grief support group. e next group starts June 1 and runs every ursday through July 20, with no session on July 6. e group will meet from 2-3 p.m. at the Mount Evans o ce, 3081 Bergen Peak Road, Evergreen. Reservations are required. Call 303-674-6400 to sign up.
Free legal clinic: A free legal clinic for people with no attorney will be from 2 to 5 p.m. ursday, June 1. Volunteer attorneys will answer questions, help ll out forms, and explain the process and procedure for all areas of civil litigation. Preregistration for individual 15-minute appointments is available by calling 303-235-5275.
Evergreen Audubon meeting: Evergreen Audubon will meet at 7 p.m. June 1 at Evergreen Christian Church or via Zoom. e topic is native plants. For more information, including location details and Zoom access to the chapter meeting, visit www.EvergreenAudubon.org.
Native plant sale: Evergreen
Audubon will host a native plant sale from 10 a.m.-noon Saturday, June 3, at the new Evergreen Nature Center in the historic Bancroft House on the Church of the Trans guration’s historical campus, 27640 Highway 74, Evergreen. For more information, visit visit www.EvergreenAudubon. org.
285 TechConnect Radio Club: e 285 TechConnect Radio Club for ham radio enthusiasts interested in its technical aspects will hold its monthly meeting from 10 a.m. – noon Saturday, June 3, at e Bridge Church at Bear Creek, 3101 S. Kipling St, Lakewood. For more information, visit https://na0tc.org/.
Cars and Co ee: Cars and Coffee, a show for car enthusiasts, will be from 9 a.m.-noon Saturdays from June 3 until Aug. 26 in front of Olde’s Garage on Evergreen Parkway. ere’s no registration fee. Bring your classic car or stop in to check out the vehicles. Free co ee and doughnuts. Donations bene t Mount Evans Hospice.
Defensible space, home hardening presentation: Evergreen Fire/ Rescue will provide a seminar on defensible space and home hardening to prepare for wild re at 9 a.m. Saturday, June 3, at the department’s Administration Building, 1802 Bergen Parkway.
Day of the Arts: e fourth annual Day of the Arts will be from 2:30-8:30 p.m. Saturday, June 3, at Center for the Arts Evergreen. ere will be kids activities, an artisan makers market, performers and more.
Bergen Peak Half Marathon: e rst Evergreen Trail Race Series will be the Bergen Peak Half Marathon on June 3. Participants will meet at the Pioneer Trailhead at Buchanan Park Recreation Center. For more information and to register, visit evergreenrecreation.com.
Early People of Where Mountains Meet the Plains: Archaeologist Meg Van Ness will discuss the Early People of Where the Mountains Meet the Plains at 2 p.m. Sunday, June 4, at the Little White Schoolhouse in Conifer. It is a story of change through time, environmental adaptation, technological innovation and people. For more information and to purchase tickets, visit www.coniferhistoricalsociety.org.
Medlen School Days: Medlen School Days allows elementary school-aged children to experience what a mountain school was like in the 1920s during three-day camps, sponsored by the Evergreen Mountain Area Historical Society. Medlen School is a one-room schoolhouse
