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Mountain Village celebrates Holiday Prelude Dec. 15-16

Holiday-Prelude-Blog

Words by Kathrine Warren / Community, Event

Mountain Village will once again be transformed into the North Pole for this year’s Holiday Prelude celebration on Saturday, Dec. 15 and Sunday, Dec. 16, 2018.

This year promises a whole day of holiday movies, train rides, Santa and his workshop, live reindeer, ice skating and children’s holiday surprises around every corner. Holiday Prelude is a collaborative effort between Telluride Mountain Village Owners Association, Town of Mountain Village, Telluride Ski & Golf Company and local merchants to transform Mountain Village into the regional destination for holiday fun and activities.

Throughout the weekend, children of all ages will delight in the decorations and lights galore as Santa’s elves send them up the Gondola to visit Santa’s Village at the Telluride Conference Center from 1-5 p.m.

Children can share their Christmas List with Santa, make holiday crafts with the elves, and enjoy holiday movies with free hot chocolate and popcorn. This year’s holiday films include “The Year Without Santa Clause,” “Polar Express” and “Elf.”

A parents’ lounge and cash bar will be available for parents who want to put their feet up. In addition, a curling demo will be held to demonstrate how the sport is played and help folks learn to curl from 10 a.m. – 12 p.m. (Saturday only), ice skating will be available from noon to 4 p.m., and sledding (Saturday only) will be held from 4:30 – 6 p.m. And kids can meet a live reindeer in Sunset Plaza on Saturday fro 1-5 p.m. as well.

Children and adults can expect many surprises on the train ride throughout the twinkling Mountain Village. This year the train will be making some very special stops through town to visit the live reindeer petting area (Saturday only) and participating shops will be giving gifts and treats to all children.

To celebrate the grand re-opening of Telluride Sports at the Franz Klammer Lodge, please join us for après ski treats with our custom gourmet hot cocoa bar, coffee and cookies from Telluride Sports & Bogner USA on Saturday, December 15th from 3- 5 p.m. Learn more about the event.

As you head into Mountain Village, stop by Telluride Outfitters (in the Market Plaza by the free Gondola parking garage) for a photo with a yeti and some holiday cheer. Learn more about the event.

Be sure to check out Mountain Village’s newest art gallery, Rinkevich Gallery with its grand opening celebration on Saturday from 5-8 p.m.

On Saturday, the culmination of this year’s event will be a Tree Lighting Ceremony with Santa and carolers in Heritage Plaza at 6 p.m. Following the lighting, head back to the ice skating rink because the Telluride Figure Skating Club will be presenting “North Pole on Ice.” DJ Soul Atomic will DJ in Reflection Plaza afterwards!

Mountain Village is proud to feature local ice skaters who are excited to show off their skills on the ice. The show is set to begin at 6:15 p.m. After our local pros leave the ice, stick around for the “coolest” ice skating party ever – all set to your favorite tunes.

For those who need to get some last-minute Christmas shopping done, Mountain Village merchants are extending discounts and specials to customers until 9 p.m. Shoppers will receive some of the best discounts of the year, along with raffles, giveaways, food and drink specials and more.

And, in the true spirit of giving, Franz Klammer Lodge will host an Angel Baskets Charity Drive for donations and will be offering complimentary treats and beverages in their lodge on Saturday from 1-5 p.m.

Lodging and ski packages are available for those who want to extend the holiday fun. For more information, visit http://bit.ly/HolidayPrelude2018. Activities are all free of charge; events and times are subject to change so please check back often!

View the full schedule here.

Toys for Tickets

Toys for Tickets

Words by Kathrine Warren / Community, Parking

This holiday season, the Mountain Village Municipal Court wants you to erase your parking ticket debt for a good cause. Purchase a new, unwrapped child’s toy in exchange for your current or past due parking ticket(s).

The deadline to drop off a new toy is Wednesday, Dec. 12 at 5 p.m. You can drop off tickets at the Mountain Village Municipal Court Clerk at 411 Mountain Village Boulevard.

You must show proof of purchase – a receipt – for the toy that is equal to or greater than the amount owed on the ticket(s). They toys will be distributed to children over the holiday season by Angel Baskets.

For more details please call (970) 728-9381 or (970) 728-4287.

Mountain Village welcomes fourth annual Telluride Fire Festival

fire-fest-blog

Words by Kathrine Warren / Community, Event

The fourth annual Telluride Fire Festival returns to Mountain Village on a new weekend this ski season! The three-day fire art event takes place December 7-9, 2018.

Each year in Nevada’s Black Rock Desert, a city of more than 70,000 people rises out of the dust for one week. During that time, enormous fire art installations are erected and many are ritually burned to the ground — never to be seen again. This temporary city is known as Burning Man. The Telluride Fire Festival honors this influential phenomenon in contemporary American art and the many artists whose works of fire art can often only be witnessed at Burning Man. The Fire Festival showcases stunning works of art unique to this desert happening.

The Telluride Fire Festival ignites this December 6 during Telluride’s Artwalk with an exhibit and reception at Slate Gray Gallery, in downtown Telluride. Fire performances and fire art installations are slated in both Mountain Village and Telluride Friday, Saturday and Sunday nights, and during the day, free flow arts workshops will be available for people of all ages at the Wilkinson Public Library.

Festival Hospitality will be at the base of Lift 4 in the Mountain Village Center each day of the festival 11 a.m.-4 p.m.

The signature events of this year’s festival are as follows:

  • Hot Time in the Old Town, Friday Dec. 7 & Sunday, Dec. 9, 5-8 p.m., Transfer Warehouse.  Be amazed. Experience, interact, and even operate fire sculptures and be entranced by fire dancers at the roofless historic Transfer Warehouse. Enjoy music by Beatrixx Kiddo & DJ Kentendo with MC by Telluride Theatre’s Colin Sullivan. Hot drinks at the cash bar at this one-of-a-kind event. Food and snacks for sale as well.
  • Fireside Soiree, Friday, Dec. 7, 8 p.m. (doors at 7 p.m.), The Bob Theater (in the Palm Arts Complex.  an up-close and personal cabaret style performance of mind-bending stunts and comedy produced by Homestead Circus Productions…sans fire.
  • Fire Ball, Saturday, Dec. 8, 9 p.m., Great Room at San Sophia Gondola Station. This wildly outrageous event will feature music, fire performers, aerial silk spinners, jugglers, open bar and more. Plus, Fire Ball attendees will have access to the Fire Sculpture Garden atop the ski area.
  • Free Fire Dancing Performances in Reflection Plaza on Saturday, Dec. 8 from 5 to 8 p.m.

New This Year:

Arizona fire artists Chris Turner and Michael “Oaks” Wright are creating a unique piece entitled “Pinwheel Snowflake”, which will be lit from within. Skiers will marvel at its complexity of design during the day and then — in true Burning Man form — it will burn to the ground Saturday night during the Fire Ball.

Country and Chaos Collaborations, also out of Arizona, will be showcasing their beautiful Fire Flowers and the interactive Easty Beasty, which shoots flames high into the air. Country and Chaos Collaborations is the joint effort of Arizona Burners Nick Rice, Kristin Wesley, and Lance Greathouse.

Denver artists Mark Switzer, Craig Sanchez and Jed Winters are contributing their Camp Wardrobe MalFUNKtion fiery arch. Built as a sign for Camp Wardrobe MalFUNKtion at Colorado’s regional Burning Man event, Apogaea in 2016, the arch incorporates Apogaea’s logo, a simplified image of the sun crested on the horizon of the earth, illuminating an arch of the planet. Guests at the Transfer Warehouse will walk under the arch while flames shoot into the air above them on arrival.

Returning artists:

Returning artist Keith D’Angelo will have a new fire sculpture at the Fire Sculpture Garden along with an exhibit at Slate Gray Gallery: Out of Focus – A Visual Commentary On Gun Violence. Keith’s LOVE is set to burn along with three other wood sculptures at 9:30 p.m. December 8. Each letter is eight feet tall and five feet wide.

 

The Telluride Fire Festival, a 501(c)3 organization, is an interactive fire art experience offering fire related workshops and outdoor displays of fire artistry to support artists and enable all to immerse themselves in the many forms of fire art.

For more about the Festival or to volunteer for the festival, visit telluridefirefestival.org.

Celebrate Thanksgiving in Mountain Village

Thanksgiving blog

Words by Kathrine Warren / Community

There is a lot to be thankful for this holiday season!

For starters, Telluride Ski Resort is opening on Thanksgiving Day for the first time since 2015! There’s snow in the forecast for this week and forecasters are slating this winter to be an El Nino year which always bodes well for Southwest Colorado!

Lift 4 and the Chondola (Lift 1) will open for the season on Thurs. Nov. 22 at 9 a.m. and the following trails will be open:

  • Village Bypass (from top of Lift 4 to Lower Boomerang)
  • Lower Boomerang (from Village Bypass to the base of Lift 4)
  • Upper & Lower Misty Maiden
  • South Meadows
  • The Meadows Learning Center
  • Peaks Trail

Be sure to download the ski area’s new app to stay up-to-date on conditions, terrain and more!

If you don’t make it on the mountain, you can still work up an appetite with San Miguel County’s annual Turkey Trot 5K Run/Walk in Illium Valley. The race starts at the intersection of Sunshine Road and CR 63L (Illium Road). Registration begins at 9 a.m. and the race starts at 9:30 p.m. Costumes are encouraged and dogs on a leash are welcome.

After a long day of skiing, have Thanksgiving dinner at one of Mountain Village’s fabulous restaurants.

Altezza at the Peaks Resort will have a Thanksgiving Day Buffet from 1-9 p.m. Dinner is $60 for adults and $25 for children 12 and under. Call (970) 728-2525 for reservations.

The Madeline Hotel will be offering a Thanksgiving Menu from 4:30-10 p.m. Dinner is $75 for adults and $35 for children. This year residents can also take advantage of Chef Will’s Thanksgiving to Go Option including a full dinner for 6-16 people. Please call (970) 369-8949 for for information and reservations.

For a full list of Mountain Village restaurants, please check out our Dining & Nightlife Directory.

Please visit the Town of Mountain Village’s event page for a full schedule of events this weekend and beyond.

 

 

Mountain Munchkins hosts third annual Family Date Night

Munchkins Family Date Night

Words by Kathrine Warren / Community, Mountain Munchkins

On Friday, Nov. 30, take the family out to the Telluride Conference Center for Mountain Munchkin’s third annual Family Date Night.

All proceeds benefit the scholarship fund at Mountain Munchkins, Mountain Village’s child care center located at Village Court Apartments.

The fun evening will feature a bouncy castle, craft table, pictures with Santa, a ski pass raffle, silent auction and a screening of the film “Happy Feet.”

Admission is $10 (and $5 for kids 12 and under), and there will also be a raffle to win a season’s Telluride Ski Resort pass with raffle tickets available for $10. There will be a cash bar available for adults as well.

The fun will take place 5:30-8 p.m. on Friday. Nov. 30 and the movie will begin at 6 p.m.

Established in 1996, Mountain Munchkins is a licensed infant, toddler and preschool center located at Village Court Apartments in Mountain Village. As a year-round program, it primarily provides childcare service to families who work in the Mountain Village and Telluride region.

Mountain Munchkins is owned, operated and subsidized by the Town of Mountain Village, and supported by grant-funding organizations like the Telluride Foundation, Just For Kids Foundation, CCAASE, Bright Futures and Temple Hoyne Buell Foundation.

UPDATE–Public Notice about Mountain Village Drinking Water

Water Quality Mountain Village

Words by Bill Kight / Public Works, Utilities

WATER QUALITY UPDATE: testing has continued for chlorine levels in the water, and all levels have resumed to normal. It is advised to please flush your home water lines to ensure the chlorine has dissipated from the water in your pipes. For questions or concerns, please contact the Public Work/Utilities Department at  (970) 728-5946

 

CURRENT WATER QUALITY LEVELS 
VCA0.5 PARTS PER MILLION (PPM)
SKI RANCHES0.7 PPM
MEADOWS VIEW APARTMENTS0.45 PPM

Note: Mountain Village’s water supply is typically ranges from 0.5-1 parts per million.

The Town of Mountain Village Public Works Water Department was alerted to higher levels (but not dangerous) of chlorine in the Town’s water supply earlier this week. Due to a glitch in our water treatment system, there was a slightly larger than normal discharge of chlorine into the Town’s water.

Although, this was not an emergency, as our residents, you have a right to know what happened, what you should do, and what we did to correct the situation.

The Town’s drinking water is treated with a small amount of chlorine per state law, and the Mountain Village’s water supply is typically ranging from .5-1 parts per million.

The Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) requires treated tap water to have a detectable level of chlorine to help prevent contamination. The allowable chlorine levels in drinking water (up to 4 parts per million) post “no known or expected health risks (including) an adequate margin of safety. Only chlorine-based disinfectants can provide lasting protection from waterborne diseases throughout the distribution system from treatment plant to the consumer’s tap.

The water was recorded at Village Court Apartments (VCA) on Wednesday, Nov. 14 at 1.3 parts per million and the town is continuing to flush the system to return to normal levels within the next 24 hours.

The Town of Mountain Village Public Works Department is committed to producing the highest quality drinking water and are making operational improvements in response to the situation through environmental testing and reporting.

For questions regarding the Town of Mountain Village Water, please contact Public Works Director, Finn Kjome at (970) 369-8206 and by email.

Public Notice about Mountain Village Drinking Water

Water Quality Mountain Village

Words by Bill Kight / Community, Public Works

The Town of Mountain Village Public Works Water Department was alerted to higher levels (but not dangerous) of chlorine in the Town’s water supply. Due to a glitch in our water system, there was a slightly larger than normal discharge of chlorine into the Town’s water system.

Although, this was not an emergency, as our residents, you have a right to know what happened, what you should do, and what we did to correct the situation.

The Town’s drinking water is treated with a small amount of chlorine per state law, and the Mountain Village’s water supply is typically ranging from .5-1 parts per million.

The Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) requires treated tap water to have a detectable level of chlorine to help prevent contamination. The allowable chlorine levels in drinking water (up to 4 parts per million) post “no known or expected health risks (including) an adequate margin of safety. Only chlorine-based disinfectants can provide lasting protection from waterborne diseases throughout the distribution system from treatment plant to the consumer’s tap.

The water was recorded at Village Court Apartments (VCA) on Wednesday, Nov. 14 at 1.3 parts per million and the town is continuing to flush the system to return to normal levels within the next 24 hours.

The Town of Mountain Village Public Works Department is committed to producing the highest quality drinking water and are making operational improvements in response to the situation through environmental testing and reporting.

For questions regarding the Town of Mountain Village Water, please contact Public Works Director, Finn Kjome at (970) 369-8206 and by email.

November Mayor’s Minute

Mayors Minute

Words by Laila Benitez / Mayor's Minute

Hello neighbors,

Below are some Town Council meeting highlights from last month and some upcoming topics. As always, I hope you can join us for tomorrow’s meeting or consider sharing your feedback with us about any of these matters.

October 18 Meeting Highlights

  • Town Council approved, on first reading, an ordinance outlining the legal operation of drones within town limits.
  • To further encourage the development of workforce/deed-restricted housing, Town Council gave direction to town staff to waive and/or reduce related building fees in the 2019 Planning and Building Department Fee Schedule.
  • In an effort to implement the vision of the 2011 Comprehensive Plan, we discussed whether the Community Development Code requirement that major development applications be in “General Conformance” with the Comprehensive Plan is too vague and could hinder implementation of the Comprehensive Plan, as the term lacks clarity. Town Council asked staff to draft an amendment to the Comprehensive Plan that will provide more guidance and certainty as to what “General Conformance” means.
  • Town Council reviewed and prioritized the work plan recommendations provided by AECOM and the Village Center Subarea Committee. The following six items were identified as low-hanging fruit in the Village Center and prioritized as follows:
    1. Improve WiFi speed and connectivity
    2. Explore common consumption approach
    3. Install additional lighting, as needed for safety improvements
    4. Regulate trash and delivery service routes and times
    5. Explore installation of pop-ups in Heritage Plaza
    6. Utilize bus and shuttle drop-off at Blue Mesa to its full potential
  • Lastly, we received reports from the Telluride Conference Center, and Town Hall and Village Center Subarea Committees.

If you would like more specifics about any of these topics, you can review minutes from the meeting or watch the video on the town website.

November 15 Agenda Topics

  • Town Council will review and vote, first reading, the 2019 and revised 2018 budgets. Once the last substantive changes have been incorporated in the 2019 budget, a budget-specific email will be sent out.
  • Consideration of an ordinance to make minor housekeeping amendments to the Community Development Code. These are generally technical amendments identified by staff as needed to improve the zoning/development code administration.
  • Telluride Distilling Company, who has a Manufacturing License and is located in Lawson Hill, has applied to the State of Colorado for an off-site tasting room permit in the Mountain Village Center. This is a state permit and the town does not approve the permit but as a courtesy we may provide comments.
  • Uptown Services, LLC will present the findings of the recently completed Broadband Feasibility Study. In 2019, the town is pursuing a major upgrade to our network infrastructure, with the goal of offering 1G fiber services to every home. Their assessment will help us to determine the timeline and financial viability of this undertaking.
  • Bill Jensen with Telluride Ski & Golf and the Town Hall and Village Center Subarea Committees will provide updates.
  • Lastly, we would like to publicly acknowledge Paul Major’s recent recognition by Colorado Governor Hickenlooper with the Governor’s Citizenship Medal for “Growth & Innovation.”

A full agenda has been posted on our website; we welcome your input and hope to see you at the meeting.

Warm regards,

Laila Benitez
Mountain Village Mayor

Mountain Village Launches Financial Transparency Portal

OpenGov financial portal

Words by Kathrine Warren / Finance & Budget

In an effort to provide the community with a more transparent budget, the Town of Mountain Village announces its new financial transparency portal.

Partnering with OpenGov, a California-based company specializing in financial transparency, the Town now offers in-depth financial reporting with two years of actuals, current and proposed budgets.

“We went with OpenGov to not only open a new, more transparent window to our budgeting process, but to offer staff a more efficient way to submit their budget requests each year,” said the Town of Mountain Village’s Finance Director Kevin Swain.

Since its incorporation in 1995, the Town of Mountain Village has been committed to honest budgeting and financial transparency, and this new portal makes the data clear and easy to understand.

“Transparency is important as it gives citizens and others who are interested another way to understand a complicated document, like our budget, and how it reflects the services the Town provides for its residents, businesses and visitors alike,” Swain said.

The site provides those interested with the opportunity to view, filter and analyze and expenses for the Town of Mountain Village. OpenGov provides that data in interactive charts and graphs.

“The site offers a less complicated way for interested people and organizations to look at and understand what a municipal budget means and looks like,” Swain said.

 

View the Town of Mountain Village’s Financial Reporting Portal

Mountain Village Waives Fees to Incentivize Deed-Restricted Housing Projects

Words by Bill Kight / Development, Housing

The Town of Mountain Village is taking significant measures to incentivize new deed-restricted construction and to encourage maintenance and improvements to existing deed-restricted units.

In its monthly October meeting, the Town of Mountain Village Town Council unanimously voted to waive all planning, development and building permit fees for deed-restricted housing units effective Jan. 1, 2019.

Michelle Haynes, planning and development services director states, “Planning and building permit activity for deed-restricted housing has been minimal compared to free market activity over the past few years.”

“Telluride Ski and Golf last opened 30 apartments in the Meadows called Meadow View Apartments in 2017, and there is one deed-restricted detached condominium in the Boulders currently in design review,” Haynes continued. “As the Town of Mountain Village has 539 built deed-restricted units, the largest number in the region, we continue to explore ways to advocate for affordable housing.”

By waiving town fees, the town aims to encourage owners of deed-restricted units to maintain existing units and offer greater financial incentive to construct deed-restricted units on remaining deed restricted properties.

“The Town had some current incentives in place such as waiving the road impact fee and reduced water and sewer tap fees,” Haynes said. “However, after a review of the existing fee schedule, Haynes stated, “we felt we could do more, and the Town Council unanimously supported this direction.”

For example, a free market building permit with a $1 million valuation would cost approximately$45,000 for the building permit plus $10,000 for the water and sewer tap fees and $3,500  for the design review application. The same permit for a deed-restricted property would cost only $4,000 for the building permit, which is the cost of county taxes, $5,000 for the water and sewer tap fee and no fee for design review.

“The only fee we cannot waive are taxes paid to the county,” stated Haynes, “which constitutes the $4,000 permit fee for a deed-restricted property. By incentivizing, the town hopes to see new construction, remodels, maintenance, and repair.” Haynes said.

For program information, please contact Planning and Development Services Director, Michelle Haynes by email [email protected], by (970) 239-4061 or by visiting townofmountainvillage.com/building-development.

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