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Alpine Fax
Billie | 14 November 2005
Monday, November 14, 2005
TERMINATING ASPEN?
Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger, who with his wife Maria Shriver, have made Aspen an annual destination for the holidays, is featured in a 30-second television spot promoting skiing in California. Schwarzenegger and the state’s top skiers and snowboarders are pumping up California to make “the Golden State top-of-mind as a premier ski destination."
-Rocky Mountain News, 11.12.05
PICEANCE: BOOM BASIN
Third-quarter financial statements from The Williams Cos. and EnCana both document the importance of the Piceance Basin to the companies’ future growth. Williams calls the basin “its cornerstone property for production growth,” while EnCana, which is producing more than 300 million cubic feet of gas per day, expects production could exceed 1 billion cubic feet within the next five years.
-GJ Daily Sentinel, 11.13.05
NEW RAFT RULES
The National Park Service announced a plan last week, to go into effect in 2007, that will increase the number of rafters and kayakers on the 277-mile stretch of the Colorado River through the Grand Canyon. The plan will increase people using the river by about 10%, but will have fewer daily launches by mandating faster trips and increasing spring and fall trips.
-USA Today, 11.11.05
ST. REGIS READY TO GO
New York-based RAL Development Services is scheduled to buy Lots 50-51 in Telluride’s Mountain Village this week for nearly $7 million and construction on a 100-room, 42-condominium, $200 million St. Regis Hotel is slated to begin shortly after closing. The hotel is expected to open in the winter of 2007. The company also owns the Inn at Lost Creek in Mountain Village.
-Telluride Daily Planet, 11.11.05
BLM: $8M IN LEASES
The Bureau of Land Management sold all but one parcel in its quarterly oil and gas lease auction last week, selling 72,428 acres and receiving more than $8 million in proceeds. All the 25,000 acres in Mesa County were leased, with one parcel in the South Shale Ridge going for the highest bid in the auction, $640 per acre.
-GJ Daily Sentinel, 11.11.05
OIL & GAS CONFAB
The Public Lands Partnership, an organization formed in 1993 to promote civic discussion, will host a panel discussion on oil and gas issues Thursday at the Montrose Pavilion. Speakers from the Bureau of Land Management, Colorado Oil and Gas Conservation Commission and the energy industry will address surface-owner rights, the regulatory process and the size of reserves in the area.
-Montrose Daily Press, 11.13.05
29 TONS OF FOOD COLLECTED
A record 58,000 pounds of food was collected during the Vail Police Department’s fifth annual Make a Difference Day food drive, which ended Oct. 31. The record collection topped last year’s collection by 8,000 pounds. Food collected will be distributed to the Food Rescue Express, Resource Center of Eagle County and Salvation Army.
-Vail Daily, 11.13.05
ROAN COMPROMISE BACKED
The Northwest Resource Advisory council to the U.S. Bureau of Land Management approved the compromise proposal drafted by Colorado officials that could allow drilling on top of Roan Plateau under certain conditions. The compromise plan allows only 1% of the 35,000 acres to be disturbed at any given time.
-GJ Daily Sentinel, 11.12.05
THE FIVE DIAMOND RITZ
The AAA announced last week that the Ritz-Carlton, Bachelor Gulch in Beaver Creek gained five-diamond status, one of three Ritz-Carlton properties added to the five-diamond list. Just three hotels have won a Five Diamond Award every year since AAA began its ratings in 1976, including The Broadmoor Hotel in Colorado Springs.-USA Today, 11.11.05
Over at blog.travelpost.com they are really impressed with the new Ritz-Carlton by saying "Not only did all the doors swing open before me as if by magic, not only did everyone say hello and look me in the eye as we walked towards the elevator, but my friends’ suite had softly playing jazz music humming when we stepped in, the lights were dimmed just perfectly and a handwritten welcome note sat just inside the door to their room"
WINTER PARK PLANS UNVEILED
Intrawest Corp. and Winter Park Resort have unveiled plans for the $70 million first phase of their new resort village. Construction will begin next spring on two condominium hotel buildings, with 205 units, and the 10-year plan calls for 1,500 condominium units and 40,000 square feet of commercial space.
-Denver Post, 11.14.05
THE DISCOUNT SKI PASS
The Aspen Skiing Co. has had a 15% increase over last year of its four-day Classic Pass which sells for $139; sales of the $125 five-packs at Sunlight Mountain Resort are up 93% over last year. For Vail Resorts last year, the average lift ticket price was just $39.30, about half of a full-price daily lift ticket…but, Vail generated 71% of its $810 million net revenue from food, lodging, equipment rentals, ski lessons and real estate…not lift-ticket sales. Monarch, on the other hand, generated 80% of its revenue from lift ticket sales.
-Denver Post, 11.13.05
A RANCH, FOR A SONG?
Singer/songwriter Dan Fogelberg is selling his Mountain Bird Ranch, a 610-acre property in Pagosa Springs complete with a recording studio, for $17.5 million. The main house has four bedrooms and five baths and the guest house has six bedrooms and 4 ½ baths. Also included: a heated barn with 12 stalls and indoor riding arena; heated maintenance shop; indoor greenhouse with a waterfall and pond; a gas station with gas and diesel; a Mercedes-Benz Unimog; John Deere tractor; GMC pickup and a Toyota Land Cruiser.
-Rocky Mountain News, 11.11.05
SUPPLYING A HOTEL
The 1,100-room Hyatt Regency Denver convention center hotel opens Dec. 20. In addition to the 600 new employees, the hotel will need:
-14,000 pillows;
-11,000 clothes hangers;
-36,429 lamps and light fixtures;
-6,000 forks and knives; 7,800 teaspoons
-Rocky Mountain News, 11.10.05
