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WEEKEND SNOW STORM KEEPS EMERGENCY PERSONNEL IN ROUTT COUNTY BUSY
Authorities in Routt County responded to several weather related accidents over the weekend. One of those was a rollover accident on Highway 131 near Oak Creek. The Routt County Sheriff’s Office says the SUV rolled several times down an embankment, but the occupants only suffered minor injuries. They were treated at Yampa Valley Medical Center and released. The accident closed the highway for about an hour and a half Saturday afternoon. The Colorado State Patrol, the Routt County Sheriff’s Office, and other emergency personnel were busy throughout the weekend with mostly minor accidents. Law enforcement reminds drivers to slow down on icy roads, and to remember to begin braking early when coming to a stop.
STEAMBOAT SKI AREA PREPARES FOR SCHOLARSHIP DAY
The Steamboat Ski Area is scheduled to open this week. The Ski Area traditionally open the day before Thanksgiving with its Scholarship Day. Skiers get discounted lift tickets and proceeds go tot he Steamboat Springs Winter Sports Club. Several thousand dollars are raised each year for the program, which gives scholarships for families who can’t afford to enroll their kids in the program. A weekend snow storm left 14 inches on Mount Werner, which should bode well for the resort, however weather forecasters say warmer temperatures and drier days are in the near future. Ski resort officials have also been making snow when overnight temperatures allow.
CRAIG CITY COUNCIL TO VOTE ON WATER RATE INCREASE TOMORROW NIGHT
A vote to approve water and waster water rates in Craig is expected tomorrow night. The second reading of the ordinance to raise the rates by an average of 5% will be heard at tomorrow night’s Craig City Council meeting. The base rate will stay the same, but usage rates will increase, as they have every year for the last 3 years. The increases have been intended to offset improvement costs at the water plant. The Council also plans to vote for final approval of their 2012 budget. Tomorrow night’s meeting starts at 7:30 in the Council Chambers of Craig City Hall.
MOFFAT COUNTY SCHOOL BOARD STILL LOOKING FOR A 7TH DISTRICT REPRESENTATIVE
While three members were elected to the Moffat County School Board this month, there should have been 4 members sworn in Friday’s school board meeting. However, because nobody expressed an interest in running for the District 7 seat, the board will have to appoint that representative. Interested parties can fill out an application. Qualified applicants will have lived in the eastern part of the city for at least a year. Andrea Camp will continue to serve in the district 7 seat until a new member is appointed. The applicants will be interviewed December 13th. For specific boundaries of the district, or for detailed information about the application process, you can call the School Admin Building.
CHRISTMAS TREE PERMITS FOR ROUTT NATIONAL FOREST GO ON SALE TODAY
Those who like to chop down their own Christmas Tree, can get their permits today at Medicine Bow/Routt National Forest offices. Tree cutters are reminded to follow a few rules. Trees over 20 feet cannot be cut down, you can’t leave more than 6 inches of stump sticking out of the ground, and you can’t cut a tree within 100 feet of a road or 200 feet of a camp site or picnic area. High profile areas, such as the Steamboat Ski Area, the Fish Creek Falls Recreation Area, the Thunder Basin National Grassland or any wilderness areas are off limits. Christmas tree permits are $10 each, and can be picked up at any Medicine Bow/Routt National Forest Office. Those in Craig can also pick them up at the Craig Chamber of Commerce.
TRANSPORTATION DEPARTMENT COMES UP WITH SMARTPHONE APP
The Colorado Department of Transportation is developing a smartphone application to alert drivers to traffic conditions – and suggest pit stops for dining and killing time while waiting for the roads to clear. State officials hope to have the app ready for testing on the Interstate 70 mountain corridor next summer. The CDOT app will reportedly be supported by advertising, not tax money. CDOT spokeswoman Stacey Stegman says a contract for the product development will likely be awarded to a private firm early next year, with officials hoping to launch the app with live information on the I-70 corridor by Memorial Day, 2012. A similar app is already available from the I-70 Coalition, a partnership of governments along the corridor.
PARADE OF LIGHTS IS SATURDAY
Thanksgiving is this week, which means the Parade of Lights in Craig is this weekend. The Craig Lions Club and the Downtown Business Association sponsor the annual event, which features local floats laden with lights and Christmas decorations. Applications are still being accepted for floats, and prizes will be awarded for various categories. The parade will follow the old route, from Craig Middle School south to Victory Way, then west to Ledford, where it will then travel past Sunset Meadows and Sandrock Rehab and Care, and finally end in the Safeway parking lot. It starts at 6 Saturday night, and once again this year KRAI will have the soundtrack to the parade starting 5.
