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Colorado - Wed. 12/06/23 |
A Free Business Publication from Alpine Bank
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XCEL ENERGY PITCHES NEW CLEAN ENERGY PLAN FOR COLORADO
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Xcel Energy has a vision for Colorado’s clean energy future, a vision that comes with a $15 billion price tag. Xcel Energy’s preferred electric resource plan submitted to the Colorado Public Utilities Commission in September includes 7,100 megawatts of new generation and storage, mainly wind and solar and nearly $3 billion in new transmission lines. This proposal has 26 percent more generation and is almost twice as expensive as an earlier plan approved by the PUC and endorsed by consumer, environmental, labor and business groups. Under state law Xcel Energy must cut its greenhouse gas emissions 80 percent from 2005 levels by 2030. The proposed plan would cut them by 87 percent.
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LAKE ESTES DRAINED FOR DAM MAINTENANCE/TUNNEL INSPECTIONS
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On Nov. 27, the Bureau of Reclamation started the process of draining water from the Colorado-Big Thompson Project (C-BT) tunnels and reservoirs in preparation for safety inspections and maintenance work. The temporary drawdown reduced levels in Lake Estes from its typical level of 7,472 feet in elevation. The reduced levels also affect Marys Lake. In addition to the inspections, seal replacements will be performed on the radial gate on Olympus Dam. The work is anticipated to be completed by Dec. 14, with refilling taking a couple of days.
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COLORADO CAMPING/BOATING FEES TO RISE
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Camping and boating fees will rise in two popular Colorado parks: Black Canyon of the Gunnison National Park and Curecanti National Recreation Area. Beginning on Jan. 1, 2024, it will cost $20 per night, up from $16, to stay at the North Rim Campground and in loops A and C in the South Rim Campground at Black Canyon. Loop B, which includes electrical hookups will go from $22 to $34. As for boating, seasonal permits are up by $10 to a total of $40, while 7-day passes are $20. (There are no longer 2-day or 14-day permits.) In 2022, visitors spent $70.2 million in the areas around Black Canyon and Curecanti, the park service said. Fee money is used to pay for new projects and ongoing maintenance of park facilities; recent projects included trail rehabilitation, marina improvements and an amphitheater upgrade.
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STRANAHAN'S WHISKEY COMES HOME TO ASPEN
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Stranahan’s Colorado Whiskey is taking it back to the beginning. The whiskey maker, founded in 2004 and often billed as the first new distillery to open in Colorado since Prohibition, plans to debut a new tasting room, Stranahan’s Whiskey Lodge, sometime this winter in Aspen, according to the company. Stranahan’s was co-founded by longtime Aspen resident, physicist and entrepreneur George Stranahan and former volunteer Aspen firefighter Jess Graber. The story goes that Graber was part of a team that responded to a fire at Stranahan’s barn, and that the two got to know each other after that and hatched a plan to start their own whiskey distillery. They did just that in 2004, at 2405 Blake St., in Denver, before buying their own building and moving the operation to their existing location at 200 S. Kalamath St. New Jersey-based Proximo bought the company in 2010; Stranahan himself passed away in 2021.
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SUNLIGHT MOUNTAIN OPENING DAY ON FRIDAY
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Skiers and snowboarders are gearing up for the opening day at Sunlight Mountain Ski Resort on Friday, Dec. 8. The resort will kick off the season with only the Tercero Lift and Midway, a beginner-friendly green run. Opening day festivities extend beyond skiing. Visitors can expect giveaways, a special banner for the first chair lift, and live music, creating a lively atmosphere for the season’s start. A notable addition this year is a snow stake at the mountain’s peak, a tribute to Sunlight Mountain’s history. While the stake will be used to measure snow, its unique 2k live viewing video will allow viewers to get a first-hand look at the snow falling down. Those wishing to get a look can do so at the Sunlight Mountain website, sunlightmtn.com.
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GJ LIONS CLUB KICKS OFF 20TH RANDOM ACTS OF KINDNESS PROGRAM
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The Grand Junction Lions Club’s Random Acts of Kindness Program, which sees each club member in good standing receive $100 to be donated for a random act of kindness in the community, aims to alleviate the needs for those who may normally go unrecognized or may not be helped through more traditional nonprofit programming. On Tuesday, club members met at Warehouse 25sixty-five to receive their $100 bills and kick off the 20th annual Random Acts of Kindness Program. Club members are tasked with finding someone in the community who “touches their heart.” Over the course of the past two decades, the Grand Junction Lions Club’s Random Acts of Kindness have generated more than $400,000 that have been donated to individuals.
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SAN MIGUEL COMMISSIONERS APPOINT WYSZYNSKI AS COUNTY CLERK
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The San Miguel Board of County Commissioners held interviews at a special meeting on Tuesday in the process of appointing one of two candidates to fill the county’s clerk and recorder vacancy. Michael Wyszynski and Diana Szigeti, both current San Miguel County employees who share an office, were interviewed by the commissioners. Wyszynski is the senior deputy clerk and Szigeti is the chief deputy clerk. Following interviews and discussion, the commissioners chose to appoint Wyszynski to serve in the county clerk and recorder position. County officials said the next opportunity for voters to elect a county clerk and recorder will be next year and then again in November of 2026.
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ANIMAS SURGICAL HOSPITAL APPOINTS NEW CEO
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Animas Surgical Hospital, in Durango, announced last week that Meggin Roberts was named CEO, a role she filled in an interim capacity since Joe Theine left the position at the end of June. Roberts is a familiar face to many at the organization, where she has worked in some capacity since the hospital’s founding in 2004. She started as a receptionist and has worn many, and sometimes multiple, hats at the hospital as it has developed. Roberts said she sees the hospital expanding to meet Durango’s needs, although the specifics of exactly what that could look like remain uncertain. For now, she says her job is about bolstering the hospital’s staff.
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TRAVIS COGGIN IS VAIL'S NEW MAYOR
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On Dec. 5, the newly sworn-in Vail Town Council unanimously appointed Travis Coggin as the town’s mayor for the next two years. Barry Davis was named mayor pro tem, and will step in if Coggin is absent from future meetings. Coggin is currently serving in his second four-year term on the Vail Town Council. He was first elected in 2017 and re-elected in November 2021. Coggin has served for the past two years as the town’s mayor pro tem. Coggin has been in Vail since 1988, attending Red Sandstone Elementary, Minturn Middle School and Vail Mountain School. Professionally, Coggin works in real estate planning, brokerage, investment, development and construction as well as part-time on the Vail Mountain Ski Patrol.
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STEAMBOAT SPRINGS WILL SURPASS 2023 TAX REVENUE PROJECTIONS
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Steamboat Springs’ preliminary sales tax report for October shows the city is on pace to surpass its $35 million annual revenue projection for 2023. Finance Director Kim Weber said projections are now that revenue will be closer to $39 million for the year. Weber explained the initial projection was established over a year ago and came with an expected “slowdown” in sales tax collections throughout the year. Totaling more than $2.5 million, October’s tax collections dropped 4.55 percent compared to October 2022. Year-to-date collections, however, showed a 3.62 percent increase compared to where collections stood on Nov. 1, 2022.
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CDOT WRAPS UP MAJOR I-70 PROJECT
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The Colorado Dept. of Transportation has completed its Interstate 70 auxiliary lane project between Frisco and Silverthorne aimed at improving safety on a critical highway artery for Summit County residents, visitors and through traffic. After two summers of minor road impacts, crews have wrapped up work on the project. With construction costs totaling around $24 million, the I-70 auxiliary lane project included the construction of an additional lane along approximately 3.5 miles of eastbound I-70 between Frisco and Silverthorne. The project also included structural work to widen two eastbound bridges over the Blue River and U.S. Hwy. 6, installation of wildlife fencing along both eastbound and westbound I-70 and a longer deceleration lane at Exit 205 in Silverthorne.
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THE WORLD'S MOST POWERFUL WOMEN
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Forbes has released its 2023 list of the World’s 100 Most Powerful Women. Taylor Swift makes her highest-ever appearance at No. 5, while Beyoncé jumped to No. 36, up from 80 in 2022. Barbie takes the No. 100 spot, the position allocated every year to a figure that’s not the traditional image of power but one who has, nonetheless, come to define a year. The top ten on the 2023 Power List, age, location and category:
- Ursula von der Leyen, 65, Belgium, Politics & Policy
- Christine Lagarde, 67, Germany, Politics & Policy
- Kamala Harris, 59, U.S., Politics & Policy
- Giorgia Meloni, 46, Italy, Politics & Policy
- Taylor Swift, 33, U.S., Media & Entertainment
- Karen Lynch, 59, U.S., Business
- Jane Fraser, 56, U.S., Finance
- Abigail Johnson, 61, U.S., Finance
- Mary Barra, 61, U.S., Business
- Melinda French Gates, 59, U.S., Philanthropy
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MARKET UPDATE - 12/05/2023 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 11/30/2023)
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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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