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Colorado - Tue. 07/21/26 |
A Free Business Publication from Alpine Bank
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ALPINE BANK OPENS BENEFIT ACCOUNT FOR GOLD MOUNTAIN FIRE HELICOPTER PILOT
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Alpine Bank has established a dedicated benefit account to support the family of a Canadian helicopter pilot who lost his life fighting the Gold Mountain Fire. According to the Gunnison County Sheriff's Office, Nicholas Dale, 56, of Sooke, British Columbia tragically lost his life after his K-MAX helicopter crashed into Silver Jack Reservoir on July 12, 2026. He was engaged in wildfire suppression efforts in support of the Gold Mountain Fire when the aircraft went down. Alpine Bank is launching this effort with an initial $10,000 donation to the family of Nicholas Dale. The bank has a longstanding commitment to supporting the communities it serves, especially in moments of hardship.
"We've all been watching this fire and hoping for the safety of everyone working on it," said Alpine Bank Vice President and Branch Manager Barb Latham. "Hearing that Nicholas Dale lost his life was heartbreaking. He came here to help protect our community, and now it's our turn to support his family the way he stepped up to support ours.” The benefit account is open for donations now through Aug. 31, 2026, with all funds going directly to Nicholas Dale’s family. Information on how to contribute can be found at the link below.
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SPACE FORCE BOOSTS BROOMFIELD COMPANY'S CONTRACT FROM $7M TO $100M
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The U.S. Space Force increased its contract with a Broomfield-based aerospace company 14-fold earlier in July. Space Force awarded Pivotal Space Inc. a $93 million contract on July 10. The award increases the agency's contract with Leap from $7 million to a cumulative $100 million. Pivotal Space Inc., which operates under the name Leap, is an aerospace company building rockets and propulsion systems aiming to “move goods anywhere on Earth or in orbit within minutes,” according to its website. The money is set to be spent on “performance evaluation for resupply, integration, and global expeditionary enablement,” according to the contract announcement. In a post on Leap’s LinkedIn page, the company said the work will be done at its Broomfield headquarters through 2030. The nine-figure contract was awarded earlier this month through the Space Systems Command office at Peterson Space Force Base in Colorado Springs.
As an acquisition arm of the Space Force, the Los Angeles-based Space Systems Command manages a $15.6 billion annual acquisition budget. The latest contract comes after the Colorado Economic Development Commission (EDC) voted in May to grant tax incentives over eight years to Leap. The EDC said at the time it anticipated the company’s proposed expansion in Colorado could create over 500 indirect jobs along with staff additions. The growth could lead to more than $70 million in local contracts and an overall long-term impact of more than $300 million, the EDC said. The average annual wage of the company’s new jobs is projected to be $149,960, 153 percent of the annual wage in Boulder County, according to the EDC. Leap’s website shows it currently has almost two dozen open positions at its Broomfield headquarters.
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DENVER WATER'S 1.5 MILLION CUSTOMERS FALLING WAY SHORT OF DROUGHT-CUTTING GOALS
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When Denver Water looked back at the historically abysmal snowpack, and ahead to a historically scorching summer, the crucial agency for 1.5 million Coloradans set a target of 20 percent water use cuts to help solve challenges from the ongoing drought. It’s not working. At roughly the midpoint of the high season for lawn watering, about half of Denver Water home use, customers have cut only 2 percent of the five-year system average. Officials fear that after a weekend of 100-degree temps forecast for the Front Range, they’ll see even worse results as customers reel from a searing streak of daily highs and defend their lawns with amped irrigation. By mid-July, Denver Water wanted to see 10,300 acre-feet less water used than the long-term average of about 51,000 acre-feet. So far, customers have trimmed use by 1,300 acre-feet. An acre-foot covers a football-field size piece of ground in 12 inches of water and can serve two to four households in a normal year.
Aurora Water said its customers have so far met the goal of a 20 percent cut from outdoor use in 2025. But they are concerned about accelerating reservoir losses. The system for 380,000 residents has seen reservoirs drop to 52 percent of capacity. At this date in a normal year, Aurora Water would measure 260 cubic feet per second of water helping to fill Spinney Mountain Reservoir. On July 17, that flow was 3 cubic feet per second. Upstream 12 miles, a gauge measured 45 cubic feet per second, demonstrating “how much water the ground is sucking up.” The two-day-per-week watering restriction is based on odd and even street addresses. Monday is not a home watering day, allowing Denver Water to measure against what’s meant to be a control day. Mondays with no lawn watering have seen June and July use drop 52 million gallons per day compared with the average of other days.
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LIFT-UP RECEIVES 38,000-POUND POTATO DONATION
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A donation of 38,000 pounds of fresh potatoes is helping Lift-Up feed families and strengthen partnerships with organizations across the Western Slope. Sharing Excess, a national nonprofit that rescues surplus food and redirects it to communities in need, delivered 21 pallets of potatoes to Lift-Up. The donation amounts to about one-twentieth of all the food Lift-Up distributed in 2025, Executive Director Samantha Freese said. “I saw it as a really good opportunity to partner with other organizations that are doing food insecurity work, but also nonprofits or government entities that are helping the community in other ways,” she said. “So far, we are working with over 20 organizations or partners helping us get these potatoes out to the community — everywhere from Eagle to Mesa.”
Organizations helping distribute the potatoes include Harvest for Hunger, Mountain Valley Development Services, Jesus Saves and the Eagle Valley Community Foundation. Fresh produce remains among the most requested items at Lift-Up’s food pantries. Donations of this size help families stretch their grocery budgets while bringing nutritious food into their homes. Founded in 1982, Lift-Up works to address food insecurity in communities from Parachute to Aspen. For more information about Lift-Up or to volunteer, visit liftup.org.
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SHORT-TERM RENTAL MARKET CONTINUES TO SHRINK IN ASPEN, PITCO
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Stricter short-term rental rules passed four years ago by Aspen and Pitkin County are achieving their stated aims of limiting the vacation-rental marketplace, while also raising questions about the programs’ fitness, adaptability and unattended consequences. An analysis of active short-term rental permits issued by the city of Aspen and Pitkin County shows a 9 percent decline in the total number of permits registered with the two local governments combined from 2023, when an earlier analysis showed they had issued about 900 permits in the first six months of their programs. The county alone saw a 29 percent drop in the number of licensed properties in the past three years and a 62 percent decline from pre-regulation years.
In Aspen, city rules cap total STRs in residential areas and limit permit transferability, while Basalt recently implemented a $2,535 annual STR licensing fee. Snowmass Village, which like Basalt began requiring STRs to register and pay sales and lodging tax in 2023, maintains the most permissive STR regulations in the upper valley but recently increased its annual licensing fee to $400 annually and adopted stronger rules aimed at deterring STR guests from trespassing to reach the ski area. Who is eligible, how much a permit costs and how many nights can be rented vary from one jurisdiction to another and from one permit type to another, but anyone who would like to rent their property for fewer than 30 days in Pitkin County, Aspen, Snowmass Village or Basalt is required to apply for an STR permit. The four local governments have approximately 2,500 active STR permits altogether, including 820 in Aspen and unincorporated Pitkin County.
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HOW IS DURANGO'S SUMMER TOURISM SEASON GOING?
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Durango hasn’t seen an especially thriving tourism season so far this summer, by some metrics – but there’s no cause for economic panic, Tim Walsworth, Business Improvement District executive director, said. “There might not be as many people as normal, but nothing majorly alarming (was seen) through the end of June,” he said. Hotel occupancy has fallen around 1 to 2 percentage points week-over-week this summer compared with the same weeks last year. But BID’s Downtown Ambassador Program, which tracks how many visitor/ambassador interactions occur per hour, has been “right on track,” suggesting that foot traffic downtown hasn’t taken too much of a dive since last year. Downtown hotel occupancy for the week of June 21-27 this year was at 85.1 percent compared with 87.7 percent in the same period last year – roughly 500 fewer room nights across all hotels in the downtown zone.
Local businesses reported mixed impressions of this summer’s tourism health. Several business owners said that high gas prices in the region and nearby fires have made some hopeful visitors forgo trips to Durango this summer. Gas prices have consistently remained above $4 per gallon throughout La Plata County, despite dipping down to around $3.60 in more metropolitan parts of the state in recent weeks. It can be difficult to completely separate travel data by locals and tourists, but data show that in June of this year, 57 percent of traffic was from outside the region, up from 53 percent last year, indicating a generally strong visitation month. Walsworth said despite some data pointing toward a slow start to this year’s summer tourism season, he has hope rates will tick up moving into August.
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ROUNDUP RIVER RANCH CELEBRATES 20 YEARS WITH TWO FUNDRAISERS
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As Roundup River Ranch celebrates its 20th anniversary, the nonprofit is inviting the Vail Valley community to two signature fundraising events that help provide free, medically-supported camp experiences for children with life-altering diagnoses and their families. The pair of events, called A Grateful Weekend, consists of The Bullseye Roundup and A Grateful Harvest. The first event will be held Aug. 13 at Lazy J Ranch in Wolcott. Now in its fourth year, the Western-inspired evening features archery, live music, local vendors, cocktails, food stations, ranch-inspired activities and a live and online auction, all supporting Roundup River Ranch’s camp programs. The Bullseye Roundup continues to lean into its signature theme, “Take Aim. Touch Hearts. Change Lives.”
The celebration continues Aug. 15 with A Grateful Harvest at Roundup River Ranch in Gypsum, the organization’s largest annual fundraiser. Guests will enjoy inspiring stories, camper performances, a community wine-tasting during cocktail hour, a four-course dinner prepared by four renowned Vail Valley chefs and an exclusive live auction. As part of its milestone 20th anniversary celebration, Roundup River Ranch will present the 2026 Paul Newman Legacy Award to President Emeritus Ruth Johnson, honoring the organization’s founding president and CEO for her visionary leadership and unwavering commitment to creating a place where children with serious medical conditions can experience the joy, confidence and connection that camp provides. Roundup River Ranch is part of the SeriousFun Children’s Network of camps started by actor and philanthropist Paul Newman.
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WATER LEVELS LOW AT YAMPA RIVER RESERVOIRS
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Water levels in the Upper Yampa River watershed are dropping, according to the Upper Yampa Water Conservancy District.
- The Yamcolo Reservoir is at 24 percent capacity and nearing the end of its annual agricultural water deliveries. It’s located in the Flat Tops Wilderness near Yampa and was conceived in the 1960s to help alleviate frequent irrigation water shortages. The reservoir was dedicated in 1981 and also supplies water for power generation.
- Stagecoach Reservoir is at 66 percent of its capacity, and due to limited inflow is not storing water. The outflow of water from Stagecoach is at 35 cubic feet per second and supplies 70 percent of the water flowing through Steamboat Springs.
- The Elk River is flowing at 106 cfs, while Elkhead Reservoir is releasing water at 50 cfs.
- Below Craig, the Yampa River is flowing at 137 cfs.
- Recreational closures are enacted below Stagecoach Reservoir, from Sarvis Creek Wilderness to Catamount Lake, and from Chuck Lewis State Park through the Steamboat Springs.
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BIG GULCH FIRE PROMPTS POWER SHUTOFF, BURNS 1,600 ACRES NORTH OF CRAIG
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Fire crews responded Sunday evening to the Big Gulch Fire north of Craig near Moffat County roads 3 and 106. The fire had burned an estimated 1,600 acres as of 8:37 a.m. July 20, according to Watch Duty, which cited information from the National Interagency Fire Center. Watch Duty initially reported at 8:33 p.m. July 19 that the fire was estimated at 20 acres. Fifteen minutes later, the fire-monitoring service updated the estimated size to 500 acres. The glow from the fire was visible from Craig, and smoke could be seen from high vantage points in and around the city.
The Yampa Valley Electric Association initiated an emergency public safety power shutoff because of the fire. The cooperative warned residents in the affected area to prepare for an extended outage and urged members to follow directions from emergency personnel. No information was immediately available Monday regarding containment. The Sheriff’s Office asked residents and motorists to stay out of the area and avoid unnecessary travel while firefighters and emergency personnel worked to contain the blaze.
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A-BASIN HIRES FIRST FEMALE PATROL DIRECTOR, MARKING FIRST-EVER ALL FEMALE PATROL LEADERSHIP TEAM
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When Lizzy Schofield first became a ski patroller at Arapahoe Basin Ski Area in 2013, she was one of just two women on a staff of 30. On July 16, Schofield became A-Basin’s new patrol director and the first woman to ever hold the position. She still works with only one other direct female counterpart, assistant director Lindsay Wiebold, but for a very different reason: the patrol leadership team is made up of just two positions — the director and assistant director. For the first time in history, both those roles are held by women.
Schofield started at A-Basin in 2010, working in snowmaking before becoming a ski patroller three years later. She planned to return to school for her master’s degree, but she quickly made a life in Summit County — including meeting her now-husband, a fellow ski patroller. In 2018, she cut her hours at the resort to part time so she could raise her kids on the Front Range, where her husband had started working as a firefighter. She toyed with various ideas for career changes, like pursuing nursing, but Schofield missed the mountains, and she missed A-Basin. Schofield came back as a full-time ski patrol supervisor in the beginning of 2025 and stayed in that role until receiving her recent promotion.
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COLORADO BREWERIES WIN 30 MEDALS AT GLOBAL COMPETITION
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Colorado breweries collected an impressive haul of accolades at this year’s U.S. Open Beer Championship, with one Denver beer maker placing second overall in the global competition. In all, local breweries brought home 30 medals, up slightly from 29 medals in 2025. Thirteen of those were gold, nine of them silver, and eight were bronze. The state’s big winner was River North Brewery in Denver with six medals, including four gold. The brewery placed second overall in competition and earned the title of Brewery of the Year among beer makers that make 1,001 to 2,000 barrels per year. River North’s gold medal-worthy beers were Bucket of Bolts (strong ale), Nightmare Fuel (dark coffee beer), Single Cask Adrift on the Baltic (barrel-aged German lager/Baltic porter), and Matt’s Secret Stache (extreme beer). The company also scored a silver for Hello Darkness in the imperial porter category and a bronze for Effed Up Quad in the extreme beer category.
Bull & Bush Brewery of Denver earned six medals — one gold, two silver, three bronze. Several others earned two medals, including Liquid Mechanics Brewing Co. in Lafayette, Old 121 Brewhouse in Lakewood, Gilded Goat Brewing Co. in Fort Collins and Vail Brewing Co. Liquid Mechanics got an additional shout-out for its Creamy Fookin’ Pints as one of the funniest-named beers. Peep the whole list at theusopenchampionships.com.
Gold Medal Winners
- American Strong Pale Ale – Lucid AF, Liquid Mechanics Brewing Co., Lafayette
- Australasian, Latin American or Tropical-Style Light Lager – MXL, Vail Brewing Co., Vail
- Barrel Aged German Lager/Baltic Porter – Single Cask Adrift on the Baltic, River North Brewery, Denver
- Barrel Aged Strong Beer – Royal Oil 2015 Vintage, Bull & Bush Brewery, Denver
- Belgian lambic and miscellaneous – Professor Funk 601, Gilded Goat Brewing Co., Fort Collins
- Contemporary Gose – Unnamed Yet, Highside Brewing, Frisco/Fairplay/Breckenridge
- Dark Coffee Beer – Nightmare Fuel, River North Brewery, Denver
- English Summer Ale – Sasquatch Slobber, Cellar West Brewery, Lafayette
- Extreme Beer – Matt’s Secret Stache, River North Brewery, Denver
- German-Style Oktoberfest/Wiesn – Festbier, Littleton Brewing Co., Littleton
- Nut Beer – Nutorious Pistachio Cream Ale, Platt Park Brewing Co., Denver
- Specialty Honey Beer – Honey Kolsch, Bent Barley Brewing Co., Aurora
- Strong Ale – Bucket of Bolts, River North Brewery, Denver
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THE SUNDANCE FILM FESTIVAL NEEDS YOU!
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The Sundance Film Festival has begun recruiting approximately 2,000 volunteers to help run the festival when it comes to Boulder in January, and anyone who is interested can apply starting at the end of August. The festival aims to retain as many of its long-term, returning volunteers as possible while recruiting new volunteers, including Boulder County and Colorado locals. The rewards and benefits of volunteering at Sundance are high. Volunteers can expect access to film screenings and waitlist tickets based on their hours of service and commitment level. The festival also hosts volunteer-exclusive screenings and events, while offering complimentary Sundance gear and meal vouchers for restaurants across the state.
The roles a volunteer can hold across the Jan. 21 to Jan. 31 festival are wide and varied. They can assist at theaters by ushering or scanning tickets, or they can help artists and filmmakers get where they need to go. Volunteers assist in everything from running events and panels to preparing technology to shoveling snow. But becoming a Sundance volunteer does require a significant time commitment.
- Volunteers can choose two options: assigned schedules or sign-up schedules. Within assigned schedules, there are options to become a full festival volunteer or a half festival volunteer. Full festival volunteer roles cover the duration of the festival, or roughly one shift every day of the festival from opening night to the final cleanup. Half festival roles are for people looking to experience part of the festival, and they have a requirement of six to eight shifts. A volunteer shift at Sundance is a nearly all-day role, with most shifts being six to eight hours long.
- Becoming a sign-up volunteer is the most flexible option, allowing people to sign up for a few shifts that work for their schedule, especially if they have work or family obligations. The requirement for sign-up volunteers is to complete 24 hours of service, or four shifts, whichever comes first. That is the lowest time commitment option available for Sundance volunteers.
- Anyone interested can apply; no specific skill sets are required. The volunteer application will open Aug. 31 and will be available online at sundance.org/festivals/sundance-film-festival/volunteer. Applicants can note any experience or skills they have, in addition to the types of roles they’re interested in.
- Sundance will host several virtual volunteer information sessions in July, August and September where interested volunteer applicants can ask questions and learn more about the basics of the festival and the volunteer program. To RSVP for an informational session and view dates and times, visit sundance.org/festivals/sundance-film-festival/volunteer.
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MARKET UPDATE - 07/20/2026 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 07/16/2026)
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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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