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Colorado - Wed. 10/14/26 |
A Free Business Publication from Alpine Bank
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ALPINE BANK RANKS AS TOP COLORADO CORPORATE PHILANTHROPIST
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Alpine Bank gave more money to Colorado charities than any other company to reply to the Denver Business Journal's annual List of corporate philanthropists — $4.4 million in cash contributions in 2025. That represents 90 percent of the bank's total contributions in 2025, which came out to $4.9 million. Alpine Bank's focus on Colorado's charities comes as it expands in the Centennial State. In August, it announced it would open a branch in Littleton, its first in Arapahoe County. Alpine Bank Market President Karrie Fletcher told the DBJ the company plans to open two to three new locations a year in the state with a focus on southern, northern and western portions of the Denver-metro area.
A total of $13.62 million in cash contributions was given to Colorado charities by the top 20 companies on the List. The top 20 companies gave $324.31 million in companywide contributions the same year. HCA-HealthONE also rose up this year's List, going from No.10 on last year's List to the top three, growing companywide contributions by 25 percent from $48.5 million last year to $61 million this year. Only two businesses paid more than $1 million in cash contributions to Colorado charities in 2025: Alpine Bank and U.S. Bank.
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DILLON RESERVOIR PROJECTED TO DWINDLE TO HALF ITS CAPACITY BY APRIL 1
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Dillon Reservoir currently sits at just 63 percent of its total capacity, according to Denver Water. This level of drought is abnormal, and the reservoir typically is almost full, around 95 percent this time of year, Jay Adams, a Denver Water spokesperson, said in a video released earlier in the month. The video, published Oct. 5 on the agency’s social media pages, contains dramatic aerial footage showing the docks of the Frisco Bay Marina nearly a mile from water. The marina saw water slowly recede into mud at its docks last February before deciding not to open its summer boating operations. Also seen from above in Denver Water’s video is the old U.S. Hwy. 6, which was submerged when the reservoir was created but has reemerged in previous droughts. Not only was this year’s snowpack historically low, but Colorado’s monsoon season also brought below-normal levels of precipitation to the state.
Tenmile Creek, which feeds into Dillon Reservoir, currently has record-low stream flows. Denver Water implemented a lawn-watering ban starting Oct. 1. The agency estimates the move will save 1.6 billion gallons of water. It will likely get worse for Dillon Reservoir, though, as Denver Water expects it to drop another 20 to 25 feet before snowmelt begins replenishing the water supply in early April. The agency is now forecasting the reservoir will reach 45 to 50 percent of capacity by April 1, nearing the historic low set in March 2003 of 50 percent, but not enough to eclipse the record of 35 percent set in 1978.
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DESIGNER OF DENVER'S PARK HILL PARK WILL BE FIRM THAT WORKED ON THE OBAMA PRESIDENTIAL CENTER IN CHICAGO
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The firm that designed Brooklyn Bridge Park in New York City and the landscaping around the Obama Presidential Center in Chicago will work out plans for Denver’s new Park Hill Park, the city announced Tuesday. Michael Van Valkenburgh Associates, a landscape architecture firm with offices in Denver, Brooklyn, Cambridge and Los Angeles, has also done work in Austin, Tulsa and Dallas. “These 155 acres are an unparalleled opportunity to create a landscape for gathering and exploration that forges connections across community,” said founder Michael Van Valkenburgh. “We look forward to creating a park that uniquely belongs to Denver.” For decades, the park had been a golf course, and the city’s acquisition came after voters rejected a ballot measure that would’ve allowed a plan to redevelop parts of the land to proceed.
The parkland, which doesn’t have many amenities yet, opened to the public last October. The vision plan calls for a park packed full of amenities, including multiple athletic fields and courts, a field house, a playground, a mini golf course, an off-leash dog park and a bike and pedestrian path. The city and the design firm plan to continue working with the community on the vision for the park in 2027. The city will also officially designate the land as a park. The Vibrant Denver Bond, which voters approved in 2025, included a $70 million fund for the park buildout.
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ASPEN TO REMAIN IN STAGE 3 WATER SHORTAGE
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The city of Aspen has decided to remain under Stage 3 Water Shortage heading into winter, in a move that officials are highlighting as unprecedented. Aspen enacted Stage 3 for the first time ever this past May, Utilities Director Erin Loughlin confirmed, and the extension of the restrictions means the critical need to conserve water isn’t over yet. Aspen’s municipal water system depends on the surface water diversions from Maroon and Castle creeks. The stream flows of both creeks rely on consistent release of water from snowmelt throughout the year — this year, however, the stream flows were compromised by the record-low snowpack during the 2025/26 winter.
Stage 3 restrictions mean that automatic irrigation systems for existing lawns, flowers, vegetable gardens, shrubs and trees should be limited to two days per week based on address number, with no outdoor watering allowed between 8 a.m. and 6 p.m. Additional restrictions under Stage 3 include no filling or refilling of residential swimming pools and/or hot tubs with water furnished by the city, no noncommercial car washing and no washing of sidewalks, driveways, parking areas, tennis courts, patios or other paved areas unless for the purposes of health and human safety.
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WHEELER OPERA HOUSE CELEBRATES NATIONAL HISTORIC THEATRE AWARD
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The Wheeler Opera House is the recipient of the League of Historic American Theatres’ 2026 Outstanding Historic Theatre Award, celebrating with a free open house from 4:30 to 6 p.m. Oct 21. The award honors theaters that excel in historical preservation, community impact, quality programming and services as well as strong restoration and rehabilitation of historic theater buildings. Since the league was founded in 1976, the award has been given out only 21 times. The event includes light refreshments and door prizes. Opened in 1889, the Wheeler Opera House is Aspen’s second-oldest city-owned building. The city bought it in 1918, and it was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1972. After a major restoration, the Wheeler reopened in 1984 and has kept changing while holding on to the historic character that makes it one of Colorado’s most loved performing arts spaces.
Today, the Wheeler welcomes audiences for concerts, comedy, film, speakers, festivals, educational programs and community events, and it supports local artists and creative voices throughout the Roaring Fork Valley. The Wheeler will use the league’s $2,500 grant to cover the first 300 tickets for “Roaring Fork Rising: Season 3” and six performances in May, making it possible for more members of the community to attend. Applications are open for artists who want to be part of Roaring Fork Rising: Season 3. For more information and reservations, wheeleroperahouse.com/roaring-fork-rising.
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COLORADO IS HANDING OUT FREE SALMON
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It’s time for one of Colorado’s wondrously weird wildlife rites of autumn. From a few distant mountain reservoirs, kokanees are swimming up one of the feeder creeks to return to the state-run tanks where they hatched, driven by a still-unexplained combination of chemical imprinting and magnetic forcefield reading. It’s the last thing they’ll ever do. Once the salmon reach their hatchery of origin, Colorado Parks and Wildlife employees are waiting with gloved hands and colanders. The females are gently stripped of their eggs, a thousand at a time, and placed in holding tanks. Kokanee spawn only once in a lifetime. If they went back to the stream or reservoir, they’d die within a few days. So, the CPW call goes out to anyone with a valid Colorado fishing license. You don’t need to bring a hook and line, but you should bring a cooler.
Starting in mid-October most years, after Mondays through Thursdays have been spent egg-stripping, Fridays are set aside to welcome drivers from far distances who want free, exhausted kokanee. “It just goes back to our values of not wanting anything to go to waste when it comes to our wildlife,” said John Livingston, the Durango-based spokesperson for Colorado Parks and Wildlife in the southwestern region. CPW staff want interested kokanee fans to call ahead, since giveaway days and amounts vary and can be canceled depending on the strength of that area’s spawn.
- Giveaways at the Roaring Judy Fish Hatchery north of Gunnison are scheduled for Fridays each week from Oct. 16 to Nov. 20. Information is available at 970-641-0190 or 970-641-7070.
- Lake Nighthorse in Durango will host giveaway days at 3 p.m. Fridays from Oct. 30 to Nov. 20. The parking lot is usually available starting about 2 p.m.
- Joe Rowell Park in Dolores has a giveaway planned Oct. 29. Information on the Dolores and Lake Nighthorse giveaways is at 970-247-0855.
- Giveaways at Shadow Mountain and Wolford Mountain in the Granby area are less certain, but the public can call 970-725-6200 to check.
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CORE TRANSIT TAKES HOME TWO STATEWIDE AWARDS
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Core Transit, the Eagle-County based transportation system, has been named the 2026 Large Community Transit Agency of the Year, and its Rider Education Campaign was named Marketing Program of the Year. These awards were recognized by the Colorado Association of Transit Agencies and celebrated Core Transit’s work to take rider feedback and put it into action. Of the feedback, some service changes that were made included expanding services to Leadville and Minturn, additional peak-hour service at Freedom Park and a service to West Vail Mail. More people are choosing Core Transit, according to a recent statement.
In 2025, the company provided 1.9 million passenger trips, which is a 14 percent increase from the previous year. Youth ridership has also grown by 20 percent since the system launched its Youth Fare-Free service. While also making adjustments to the service itself, Core wanted to look into how to make the riding space more welcoming. To tackle that, Core Transit has also given bus interiors a makeover, replacing commercial advertising with messages from the organization to make information like navigation or bilingual customer services easier to find.
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TOUR DE STEAMBOAT BOOSTS PAIR OF LOCAL NONPROFITS
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Tour de Steamboat presented $40,000 to two Steamboat Springs nonprofits on Oct. 7 at Olympian Hall. Reaching Everyone Preventing Suicide and Partners for Youth were the two nonprofits chosen this year. Each received $20,000. “This is exactly why the Tour de Steamboat exists,” said President of the Tour de Steamboat Board of Directors Chad Harkins. “Our new Board and team put an incredible amount of work into bringing the Tour back this year, and being able to turn that effort into $40,000 for two organizations doing important work in our community is something we’re extremely proud of.” The tour returned this year after a one-year hiatus. It attracted 685 riders, who chose between five different courses: a 112-mile gravel route, 50-mile gravel route, 66-mile road course, 46-mile road course or 25-mile family fun ride. The youngest rider, who is just 8 years old, rode the 25-mile route.
The tour took a year off in 2025, because founder Katie Lindquist decided to step away. This year, she completed the 112-mile gravel route as a participant. Since 2005, the event has brought generations of cyclists together while giving nearly $2 million to Steamboat nonprofits. More than 60 local volunteers greeted and tended to the cyclists at the start- and finish-lines and aid stations. The Tour de Steamboat is scheduled to return for its 22nd iteration on Aug. 21, 2027.
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TICKETS ON SALE FOR BEST OF SUMMIT CELEBRATION, SET FOR OCT. 14 IN SILVERTHORNE
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The time is approaching to celebrate the winners of the annual Best of Summit contest, and Summit Daily News is inviting the community to find out who won. The Best of Summit celebration, presented by 5th Ave. Grille, is set to take place from 5 to 7:30 p.m. tonight, Wednesday, Oct. 14, at Silverthorne Pavilion, 400 Blue River Parkway. Doors open at 5 p.m. for a cocktail hour with live music by Risky Strings, margarita samples from El Perro Negro, food from Saved by the Wine and dessert from Baked in Breck. Winners will be announced at 6:30 p.m., and winners and finalists can collect their awards immediately following the presentation.
The winners guide will be distributed at the event and inside of the Friday, Oct. 16, edition of Summit Daily News. Tickets are $30, and the event will include a cash bar featuring a specialty cocktail by 5th Avenue Grille. Tickets and more information can be found at SummitDaily.com/best. For more information, contact Summit Daily Publisher Nicole Miller at nmiller@summitdaily.com.
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I-70 OVERNIGHT CLOSURES SET AMID $2.25B CONGESTION COSTS
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The Colorado Dept. of Transportation will close eastbound Interstate 70 overnight between Idaho Springs and Hidden Valley and westbound I-70 overnight at U.S. 6 as crews continue work on a cast-in-place segmental bridge for the I-70 Floyd Hill Project. The eastbound full closure is scheduled from 9 p.m. Sunday, Oct. 18, to 5 a.m. Monday, Oct. 19, between Exit 241 and Exit 243. Crews will shift eastbound traffic onto a newly completed bridge over Clear Creek. The eastbound off-ramp to Exit 243 will remain closed until 6 a.m. Friday, Oct. 23. Eastbound motorists will exit at Idaho Springs, travel east on County Road 314 and rejoin I-70 at Hidden Valley. Westbound full closures at Exit 244 are set for 9 p.m. to 5 a.m. Monday, Oct. 19, and Tuesday, Oct. 20. Westbound drivers will use the U.S. 6 off- and on-ramps.
- The $905 million project covers eight miles of the mountain corridor from west of Evergreen to eastern Idaho Springs.
- The department expects westbound I-70 in its new alignment by the end of 2027, eastbound by the end of 2028 and full completion in 2029.
- A 2026 study from the Metro Denver Economic Development Corporation estimates that congestion on the I-70 mountain corridor from Denver to Grand Junction costs Colorado about $2.25 billion annually.
- That includes roughly $1.9 billion in reduced economic productivity, $319 million in resident time lost and $47 million in tourism revenue at risk.
- It also places the value of visitor spending at risk from a corridor closure at $2.3 million per hour.
Most of the project funding comes from state sources, including the 10-Year Plan, with a $100 million federal grant. Motorists can sign up for text alerts by texting floydhill to 21000. The project information line is 720-994-2368.
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SEPTEMBER RAINS SHRINK COLORADO DROUGHT FOOTPRINT
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Reports from two monitoring entities show heavy rains from Hurricane Polo played a significant role in reducing Colorado’s drought profile — at least in the southern parts of the state. Hurricane Polo had begun as a tropical disturbance that underwent a “rapid intensification” that meteorologists described as “jaw-dropping” and “absolute insanity.” The latest drought monitor report showed that, a week ago, only 8.94 percent of the state was completely drought-free. On Thursday, that number shot up to 15.62 percent.
- The figure is also up from the 1.68 percent of the state that was out of drought just three months ago.
- A year ago, before the disastrous lack of snowfall, particularly in the first few months of 2026, the drought monitor noted that 45.82 percent of the state was drought-free.
- Meanwhile, the Colorado State University’s Colorado Climate Center reported September was “extremely wet in southern Colorado, with multiple surges of subtropical moisture in the second half of the month.” The center said most of the southern half of the state saw more than twice their normal September precipitation and that resulted in “one to two-category improvements” in the weekly drought report.
- The center also said pockets of far northeastern and northwestern Colorado saw more-than-average rainfall.
- In contrast, however, “northern Colorado did not fare as well, with some Front Range locations seeing less than half their typical September precipitation.”
- The drought monitor showed the worst conditions are in the central Colorado high country, with about 8.94 percent of the state in exceptional drought. That primarily covers southern Routt, Grand, Eagle, Pitkin, Lake, Chaffee, Park and eastern Gunnison counties.
- Larimer, eastern Boulder, southern Weld and central El Paso counties also show signs of exceptional drought.
- Yet even the amount of exceptional drought is down to 8.47 percent of the state from 10.03 percent three months ago.
- The drought monitor said 84.38 percent of the state is in some form of drought — down from 98.32 percent just three months ago.
September was the wettest on record for much of the state, but also the second warmest September on record, the university center said, noting that St. Mary’s Glacier in Clear Creek County completely melted for the first time in history.
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WHAT SHOULD YOU HAND OUT ON HALLOWEEN IN COLORADO? TWO TOP PICKS
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Across the U.S., Reese's Peanut Butter Cups are the top pick for candy lovers heading into Halloween. Unless they aren’t. The cups are the top candy by ounces sold, and the top seller in 40 of 51 states and DC, according to Instacart’s annual Sweet Tooth Report that looks at sales data. Chocolate leads the way, with Peanut M&M's in second, Hershey's Milk Chocolate in third, M&M's in fourth, and Snickers in fifth. But Innerbody Research analyzed Google Search data and produced a completely different list. It found Sour Patch Kids as the top candy in the U.S., with Skittles, Snickers, Starburst and Twix rounding out the top five most popular candies. That study also found only three states and the District of Columbia were less interested in candy than Colorado.
What the two reports did agree on was that Coloradans are happier to see something different in the bottom of the trick-or-treat bucket than the rest of the nation. They just disagree on what the pick is. Candy corn was the favorite candy in Colorado, according to Instacart’s analysis. The waxy wedges are only the top choice in one other state — Wyoming — and don’t make the top 10 nationally. It’s a pivot in Colorado from the 2025 pick of Sour Patch Kids, which are the top non-chocolate candy nationally in the 2026 analysis at No. 7. Innerbody Research found Nerds as Colorado’s favorite. Nerds ranked 10th nationally in the study, with candy corn also finishing ahead of it.
What are the most candy-obsessed states?
- Utah
- Nebraska
- Iowa
- Kentucky
- Wisconsin
- Oklahoma
- Arkansas
- Missouri
- Ohio
- Delaware
What are the least candy-obsessed states?
- Hawaii
- District of Columbia
- Florida
- California
- Colorado
- Montana
- New Mexico
- Alaska
- Washington
- New York
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MARKET UPDATE - 10/13/2026 Close
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(Courtesy of Alpine Bank Wealth Management*)
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Canadian dollar (per U.S. dollar)
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Mexican peso (per U.S. dollar)
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30-year fixed mortgage rate (Freddie Mac 10/08/2026)
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*Not FDIC insured. May lose value. Not guaranteed by the bank.
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Alpine Bank is an independent, employee-owned organization with headquarters in Glenwood Springs and banking offices across Colorado's Western Slope, mountains and Front Range. Alpine Bank serves customers with retail, business, wealth management*, mortgage and electronic banking services. Learn more at alpinebank.com.
*Alpine Bank Wealth Management services are not FDIC insured, may lose value and are not guaranteed by the bank.
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