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SLED HILL AT LOUDY SIMPSON
The Moffat County Commissioners are considering building a sledding hill at Loudy Simpson Park. Commissioner Tom Mathers says he would like to see a safer place for kids to sled than Kathy Caesar Hill. He says since the hill opened many years ago, more houses have popped up, and the area is getting a little too crowded. Kathy Caesar Hill is named after a little girl who was hit by a car and killed at the bottom of the hill years ago. Mathers says he will talk with Craig Police Chief Walt Vanatta about whether or not the idea is workable. The sled hill at Loudy Simpson would be above the soccer fields toward the back of the park.
AIRPORT PARKING FINES
Parking fines at Yampa Valley Regional Airport will more than quadruple if the Hayden Town Council approves an ordinance change. The council says parking illegally in front of the terminal is an ongoing problem and the current fine of 20 dollars is not a good enough deterrent. Parking is prohibited within 300 feet of a terminal, but drivers ignore the no parking signs. The council is going ahead with the ordinance, but there has been no vote yet. The proposed new fine up for a vote, would put the cost to violators at $85. The first reading will be heard at the Council’s next meeting.
REDISTRICTING ROAD TOUR
The committee responsible for redrawing the state’s legislative boundaries started its road trip of public input meetings yesterday. The Colorado Reapportionment Committee met in Salida last night and will visit 24 other spots over the next month. The committee is showing a few versions of redrawn maps and judging the reactions. Once the tour is over, they’ll submit their final plan to the State Supreme Court for review. That’s expected to happen before the October 7th deadline. Maps are redrawn every ten years as deemed necessary by new census figures. This is the second and final tour of public hearings on the newly redrawn lines. Northwest Colorado’s meeting will be held at the Steamboat Community Center August 26th.
MOFFAT COUNTY FAIR
The Moffat County Fair gets underway tomorrow. While there have already been a couple of events, mostly shooting sports, along with yesterday’s 4-H fashion revue and today’s horse show, tomorrow is considered the official kick-off. The Kick-Off Barbecue will be held at the pavillion from 5 to 6:30 tomorrow. It will be competition style, cooks will be preparing meats and desserts for the vote of the public. The fair committee is providing the sides and the drinks. Tickets are $5, and everyone who eats gets to vote. There’ll be a dance following the barbecue. Sunday’s events include Cowboy Church Services at 8:30 at the covered picnic area, the Draft Horse Show at 9 in the arena, and the Open Dog Rally-O at 1 on the grassy area. For a complete schedule of events, click on the Moffat County Fair Logo.
LOGGING CONTRACTS
The US Forest Service is letting some loggers out of their long term contracts. A number of high priced contracts were sold in the early to mid 2000′s that are no longer considered economically viable. A drastic decline in the timber industry in the late 2000′s has loggers struggling now to stay in business. Tuesday the forest service decided to let some of those loggers out of their contracts. Eligibility will be decided on a case-by-case basis, and the cancellation only applies to those contracts predating 2008, as that year’s farm bill already provides some relief from timber contracts. The forest service says cancelling some of the contracts will ensure they can effectively mitigate fire hazards. It also does not disqualify any loggers from applying for future contracts.
RIDE 4 YELLOW
The 2nd annual Ride 4 Yellow mountain bike ride is this weekend. The event is a fundraiser for fighting cancer in Routt County. The money goes to the county’s cancer initiatives, and to the Livestrong Foundation. The ride starts at Dumont Lake at the top of Rabbit Ears Pass at 8, and lasts a couple of hours. There’ll be a celebration afterward at Thunderhead at the Steamboat Ski Area. For registration information visit www.ride4yellow.com.
