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Colorado - Tue. 10/20/26 |
A Free Business Publication from Alpine Bank
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COLORADO COLLEGES ARE TEMPORARILY WAIVING APPLICATION FEES THIS WEEK
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Colorado’s ninth annual Colorado Free Application Days kicks off Oct. 20-22, allowing students to apply to public colleges for free. During the three-day event, all 31 public colleges and universities in Colorado — and some private institutions — waive application fees for all Colorado residents applying to undergraduate programs; including associate degrees, bachelor’s degrees, certificates and other eligible credentials. More than 70,000 Coloradans submitted an application last year, saving students $2.4 million in application fees. Participation increased by 9 percent compared to 2024, with 36 percent of applications coming from first-generation students whose parents did not complete a four-year bachelor’s degree.
Community colleges and area technical colleges in Colorado waive application fees year-round, and some institutions have permanently eliminated application fees for Colorado residents. Colorado Mountain College, for example, does not charge application fees for any of its programs. Students can begin working on applications at any time, as most application platforms allow students to save their progress before the waiver period begins. For more information, visit cdhe.colorado.gov/cofreeappdays.
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COORSTEK MOVES HQ BACK TO ORIGINAL GOLDEN SITE
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CoorsTek has moved its headquarters back to its Golden site, where the technical ceramics manufacturer began operations in 1910. The company and AC Development, the Coors family’s development firm, moved this month to The Pottery, a new 188,600-square-foot office building at 800 Ford St. The building is part of the first completed phase of Clayworks, a 14-acre redevelopment of the former CoorsTek manufacturing site. About 165 CoorsTek employees will work in the building, which also has additional office and retail space available for lease. The broader Clayworks project will transform six city blocks into a walkable neighborhood with offices, shops, restaurants, housing, public gathering spaces, parking and a 140-room boutique hotel.
The redevelopment will also incorporate sustainability-focused infrastructure, including a geothermal energy system to heat and cool its buildings. The Pottery is seeking LEED Gold and WELL Gold certifications. The 1.25 million-square-foot project is expected to cost $600 million to $900 million and unfold over eight to 10 years. Overall, the project is planned to have up to 60,000 square feet of retail space, a majority of which will be devoted to food and beverage operators. Sweet Bloom Coffee Roasters is the first retail tenant announced for Clayworks. The 2,367-square-foot coffee shop is scheduled to open on the ground floor of The Pottery before the end of the year.
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ASIAN GROCERY STORE COMING TO DEVELOPMENT NEAR DIA?
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The first U.S. outpost of a Chinese supermarket chain could be coming to Denver. A long-contemplated retail development near the Denver International Airport could include a One Plus One Supermarket, according to an urban design submission to the city of Denver. One Plus One is a Chinese grocery chain without any U.S. locations to date. In fact, the entire development has been focused on bringing an Asian grocery store to the area, according to a letter included with the planning document. "The project owner (applicant) acquired the 4.0-acre subject property (site) located at the SW corner of E. 64th Ave. and Yampa St. with the vision of creating a mixed-use marketplace anchored by an upscale Asian Grocery offering a diverse selection of fresh produce, live & fresh seafood, fresh butchered meats and other specialty Asian foods not found in big-box markets," the letter said.
There is a lack of natural grocery options near the proposed site at 18200 E. 64th Ave., making the idea even more beneficial to the neighborhood, according to the letter. Other confirmed tenants were revealed to be two Asian restaurants. One will be Hot Pot Spot and the other will be called Pho 99. The land sits off Peña Boulevard between north Yampa and Waco streets. "We see this as a viable community resource for the projected 6,000 staff and trainees located at the future 114-acre UA Flight Training Center immediately across E. 64th Ave.," the letter added.
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ADAMS STATE UNIVERSITY IS WELCOMING MORE STUDENTS AS ENROLLMENT DECLINES ELSEWHERE
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While several universities in Colorado have seen enrollment drop this year, Adams State University in Alamosa is bucking the trend and bringing more students in. First-time undergrad enrollment at the San Luis Valley institution is up nearly 10 percent this year, while graduate enrollment grew by 4.4 percent. The school is also retaining more students, seeing them return for another year to continue their education. Adams State University President David Tandberg said their student body is now growing after years of decline. Though Adams State has always been open access, meaning they accept everyone with a high school diploma, Tandberg said three years ago, the school also began offering automatic enrollment for all graduating high school students in the San Luis Valley.
“Every high school senior gets a letter automatically admitting them to Adams State,” he said. “It starts, ‘Congratulations, you've been accepted to Adams State.’ For all these kids that never imagined they were college material, now they know that they've been accepted to a university.” Last year, they expanded automatic enrollment to students in Huerfano County to the east and this fall, to students in the Adams 14 School District in Commerce City. “High school graduating classes are getting smaller,” Tandberg said. “Colorado's population isn't growing, yet somewhere around 50 percent of high school graduates don't immediately enroll in college. So, there's a huge population that isn't being served by higher ed, and that's our sweet spot.”
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GLENWOOD TO REQUIRE BEAR-RESISTANT TRASH BINS
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The Glenwood Springs City Council has moved to replace every residential trash bin across the city with wildlife-resistant ones in wake of increased bear activity. Every residential trash bin across Glenwood Springs is expected to be bear-resistant by next spring, following a city council decision on Oct. 15. The switch will cost affected homes an additional $6.40 a month. Homes already using wildlife-resistant trash carts will see their fees reduced. Those residents currently pay a rate of $52.80 a month, while homes that do not have wildlife-resistant carts pay $30.53 a month, assuming they use the medium-size, 64-gallon bin. With last week’s measure passed, all homes using a medium-sized bin will start being charged about $40.31 monthly for solid waste services. Council members hope the new cans will be in use by next spring, when the bears come out of hibernation.
Glenwood Springs, along with the rest of western Colorado, is seeing a dramatic rise in bear activity. Sixteen bears can be seen wandering around the city on any given day, said Bekah Cass, Colorado Parks and Wildlife District Wildlife Manager. By mid-August, Garfield County had seen about 75 percent more bear conflicts than in 2025.
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PITKIN COUNTY DONATES $1.5 MILLION TO CAVERN SPRINGS
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Pitkin County will contribute $1.5 million to support the Cavern Springs Mobile Home Park, located between Carbondale and Glenwood Springs, as it is purchased by its residents. Cavern Springs currently has 98 homes with 300 residents, many of whom are earning below 80 percent of the median income. Cavern Springs is following in the footsteps of both the Aspen-Basalt and Mountain Valley Mobile Home Parks, which became resident-owned in 2025. The county’s funds will now go to the West Mountain Regional Housing Coalition, which provides the structure necessary to receive the funding committed by local governments, businesses and other donors. In exchange, a deed restriction will be placed on the property that requires the park remain an affordable housing option.
The deed restriction includes requirements such as that homes must only be sold to buyers who are part of the regional workforce, short-term rentals are not permitted and homes can be transferred to fully qualified heirs. The restriction runs with the land for 99 years. Earlier this year, an undisclosed buyer made an offer to purchase the land underneath Cavern Springs. The current residents formed a non-profit C Corporation called Sopris Mountain Collective to organize, fundraise and ultimately purchase the property for the $24 million acquisition price.
With this contribution, Pitkin County joins 17 West Mountain Regional Housing Coalition donors including
- Main Line Social – Chester & Molly White: $50,000
- Larry and Susan Marx: $100,000
- Michael and Laura Kaplan: $100,000
- Karen Kribs: $5,000
- King and Tracy Grant: $15,000
- Sakin Family: $5,000
- Anonymous donor: $500,000
- Pending request from a private family foundation: $1,300,000
Aspen Community Foundation donors
- ACF housing justice: $231,000
- ACF housing justice 6/11: $487,000
- Colorado Health Foundation grant to ACF: $4,500,000
Government
- Snowmass Village: $1,000,000
- Aspen: $2,000,000
- Pitkin County: $1,500,000
- Carbondale: $500,000
- Glenwood Springs: $500,000
- Basalt Water and Sanitation District: $50,000
Cavern Spring residents are now under contract and scheduled to close at the end of October.
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CMU RECOGNIZES 2026 DISTINGUISHED ALUMNI & HALL OF HONOR RECIPIENTS
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As part of its homecoming weekend, Colorado Mesa University hosted an event on Friday, Oct. 16, to recognize its Distinguished Alumni and Hall of Honor recipients. Recipients include four former CMU student-athletes and two Distinguished Alumni, which includes a couple.
Distinguished Alumni Award Recipients
- Ben Hoffman was a 2004 graduate with a CMU degree in environmental science. Today, Hoffman is Water Treatment Superintendent at Ute Water Conservancy District, where he leads a team responsible for providing safe, reliable water to more than 90,000 homes, hospitals and businesses across Mesa County.
- Tim and Kristi Pollard were part of the 1996 Mesa State College graduating class. They are the first to receive CMU’s Distinguished Alumni Award together. The two are both Western Slope natives and met at Mesa State College. Deeply involved in student government, where they made an impact on campus projects, including the development of the Hamilton Recreation Center. Today, both are successful small-business owners on the Front Range; Tim as Managing Principal of 76 Group and Kristi through her consulting firm, P2.
Hall of Honor Recipients
- Austin Kaiser 2014, CMU Baseball, was a standout baseball player, Kaiser earned more than 20 awards and honors during his senior year, including 2014 NCAA Division II National Player of the Year and National Most Valuable Player honors. He helped lead the Mavericks to the 2014 NCAA Division II National Championship game while also excelling in the classroom and earning his bachelor’s degree with two minors.
- James Martinez 2015, CMU Men’s Wrestling, made CMU history as the first individual NCAA Division II National Champion in Maverick Athletics history, capturing the 157-pound national title in 2015. A four-time NCAA qualifier, three-time RMAC champion and three-time NCAA All-American, Martinez was a key member of a dominant 2014-15 wrestling team that won the RMAC championship and finished 8-0 in conference competition. A native of Rifle, Martinez took pride in competing at CMU and representing the Western Slope on the national stage.
- MaKayla Romey 2017, CMU Softball, left an indelible mark on CMU softball, becoming the Mavericks’ all-time home run leader with 62 career home runs from 2013-2016. A shortstop and two-time NFCA All-American, Romey was a three-time RMAC Player of the Year and finished among CMU’s top five in batting average and games played. Her accomplishments on the field were matched by her success in the classroom, earning a mechanical engineering degree through CMU’s Engineering Partnership Program with CU Boulder. Today, Romey is a Facilities Mechanical Engineer at the National Laboratory of the Rockies and a licensed Professional Engineer.
- Ryan Stephan 2016, CMU Men’s Basketball, established himself as one of the most accomplished players in CMU men’s basketball history, finishing his career with 2,073 points, second all-time in Maverick history. In 2016, Stephan was named an NCAA Division II First Team All-American and National Player of the Year after a standout senior season. His career included a memorable 45-point performance that pushed him past the 2,000-point milestone in front of his family, who overcame a rockslide and a six-hour journey to be there. After graduating from CMU, Stephan continued his basketball career professionally in Japan, Mexico and Australia before retiring in 2023. Now living in Colorado, he is pursuing a career in medical device sales.
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COLORADO HONEYBEE FESTIVAL NAMES LAS COLONIAS PARK IN GJ AS ITS HOME FOR 2027
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The Colorado Honeybee Festival (CHF) will move to Las Colonias Park in Grand Junction for its free annual celebration of honeybees and pollinators. The 2027 festival will be held Saturday, April 10, 2027. CHF moved to Cross Orchards Historic Site in 2026, a change that brought record attendance and a natural pairing between the festival's mission to educate about pollinators and Cross Orchards' agricultural heritage and educational programming. That growth showed the Committee just how much room the festival needs to keep thriving, and in June 2026 the team committed to Las Colonias Park as its new home for 2027.
Las Colonias Park, part of the Grand Junction Parks and Recreation system along the Colorado River, brings a long list of upgrades for the festival: dedicated food-truck hookups with water and electric service, eliminating the need for generators; expanded parking with easier, safer access for attendees; permanent restroom facilities; and significantly more open space for vendors, activities, and attendees to enjoy. Attendees can expect the same live music, food vendors, educational lectures, Bee Costume Contest, Spelling Bee, and wide variety of vendor booths that have made the festival a community tradition. Vendors and volunteers are encouraged to visit coloradohoneybee.org for updates on registration, sponsorship, and festival details as they become available.
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HORSES AS THERAPISTS: CHANGING LIVES IN MONTEZUMA COUNTY
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Sometimes, a horse really is the best therapist. And perhaps no one knows this better than Tiffany Nichols, executive director of TAILS of Transformation in Mancos. TAILS of Transformation started in 2021 and provides horse-connected learning in Montezuma County. TAILS of Transformation uses horses to reach kids. The program specifically helps children experiencing behavioral issues or trouble in school, emotional disregulation, who struggle opening up to others, or have mental health issues (like depression or anxiety), are stressed, have tried other programs and therapies and have not found a fit and more. Nichols said her goal is to instill skills into children that they can use for the rest of their lives such as problem solving, critical thinking and growing confidence.
While horses can’t talk or provide feedback like humans, they are still emotional animals that can feel emotions and react to them. If someone comes to a session angry, causing the horse to react to it, Nichols said she uses that as a teaching moment. Eight horses make their home at TAILS of Transformation, and their names are Rebel, Gator, Ghost, Dandy, Misty, Bentley, Sugar and Gemma. Sugar and Gemma are both miniature horses. Last year, TAILS of Transformation served 65 kids. More information about TAILS of Transformation, including programs, volunteering and more can be found at tailsoftransformation.org.
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COLORADO SAW FEDERAL CONTRACT SPENDING ON PUBLIC LANDS DROP $189 MILLION LAST YEAR
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Federal contract work on public lands in Colorado dried up last year after President Donald Trump slashed thousands of staff across land management agencies like the U.S. Forest Service. A new report found that Colorado-based businesses saw $189 million less in federal contracts — a decline of nearly one-third from the previous year — with the U.S. Forest Service and land management agencies in the U.S. Dept. of Interior in 2025. Federal agencies contract with small businesses, large firms, nonprofits, research institutions and state and local governments to perform work that can include inspection and maintenance, wildfire mitigation, fire suppression and scientific research, according to the report.
Nationwide, the report found that contract spending related to federal public lands fell by $1.3 billion, or about 14 percent, from $9.1 billion in 2024 to $7.8 billion in 2025. Rural counties especially — including those in Colorado — saw net spending with local vendors fall, with one in five rural counties seeing net spending hit zero in 2025, according to the report.
- Across Colorado, the report found about 110 fewer contractors received work from the federal government last year compared to 2024.
- Understaffing at the Forest Service was a longstanding concern on the Western Slope — then Colorado lost one-quarter of its land management staff, or about 1,750 jobs, as a result of the DOGE cuts. “If you move east to west across Colorado’s mountain corridor, Grand, Summit, Eagle, Routt, Garfield counties — every one of these counties lost federal public land staff last year, and some of them up to 50 percent of their staff."
- While a few counties — like Gilpin and Pitkin — didn’t lose public lands staff during the cuts, Colorado overall lost more public lands staff than any other state.
Nationwide, federal land management agencies spent 36 percent less on contracting related to scientific studies and technical analysis; 35 percent less on contracting for architecture, engineering and professional services; and 29 percent less on information technology. Those three categories of contractors also saw the biggest losses in Colorado — but what was especially concerning were the cuts to contract spending for wildfire suppression. The report found that federal contracting related to fire suppression was down $255 million nationwide from 2024 to 2025, or about 10 percent. In Colorado, federal contracting on wildfire suppression fell $14 million in 2025.
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NRF HALLOWEEN SURVEY: CONSUMER SPENDING EXPECTED TO REACH $13.5 BILLION
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Consumer spending on Halloween is expected to reach $13.5 billion this year, according to the National Retail Federation’s annual consumer survey conducted by Prosper Insights & Analytics. The figure maintains the strong spending level of last year’s record $13.1 billion and reflects consumers’ continued enthusiasm for the holiday. Halloween remains a popular holiday for consumers, with 74 percent planning to celebrate this year, on par with 73 percent last year. While consumers are expected to spend an average of $115.14 per person, in line with $114.45 per person in 2025, they remain mindful of costs and are taking a strategic approach to their Halloween purchases. As part of this, consumers are planning ahead.
Top shopping categories for the holiday remain largely consistent with last year:
- Candy remains the most popular purchase, with 96 percent of consumers planning to buy sweets, accounting for $4.1 billion in spending
- Decorations follow at 78 percent and $4.3 billion
- 71 percent of shoppers are expected to spend $4.4 billion on costumes
- Greeting cards are more popular this year, with planned purchases increasing to 42 percent from 38 percent in 2025, with spending expected to total $0.8 billion.
Costumes Ranked: Children & Adults
- For children, $1.5 billion is expected to be spent on costumes this year. Comic book characters dominate Halloween costume choices for kids, with 4.6 million children planning on dressing up as Spider-Man and 2.3 million as a superhero. Rounding out the top five are 2.2 million children dressing up as a princess, followed by 1.6 million as a witch and 1.6 million as a ghost.
- Shoppers are expected to spend $2 billion on adult Halloween costumes this year. Classic Halloween characters remain popular, with 4.8 million planning to dress up as a witch and 4.2 million as a vampire. Other top costume choices include 2 million dressing up as Batman, 1.5 million as Spider-Man and 1.4 million as a ghost.
Costumes Ranked: Pets
- Four-legged family members are once again part of the Halloween festivities, with consumers planning on spending $0.92 billion on pet costumes. Popular costumes include a pumpkin (11.6 percent), a hot dog (5.9 percent) and a ghost (2.8 percent).
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HALLOWEEN GETAWAYS ARE WORTH TRAVELING FOR THIS YEAR
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If you're into tricks more than you are treats, then consider booking a Halloween getaway. Salem ranked as the most iconic Halloween destination. The charming town is famous for its history of the 1692 witch trials, which inspired Arthur Miller's "The Crucible." Now, Halloween is celebrated for a month, called Salem Haunted Happenings, with festivities like parades, ghost tours, magic shows, and more.
Top Halloween destinations for 2026:
- Salem
- Salt Lake City
- Savannah
- Charleston
- St. Louis
- New Orleans
- Orlando
- Denver
- Nashville
- Seattle
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MARKET UPDATE - 10/19/2026 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 10/15/2026)
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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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