Thursday, January 26, 2006
SKYWEST TO ASPEN
United Airlines will replace Air Wisconsin service into Aspen with SkyWest Inc., starting in April. SkyWest flights will be on 66-seat Canadair RJ-700 regional jets that have cabin configurations of economy, economy plus and first-class sections. United Express is the largest carrier serving the area, flying 90,000 passengers into and out of Aspen in an average winter.
-Denver Post, 01.26.06

HOTEL RATES IN DECEMBER
According to the Rocky Mountain Lodging Report, the average room rate in Aspen in December was $455.89 per night, almost $20 a night cheaper than the $474.65 in Dec. 2004. The rate in 2005 was still the highest in the state, topping Vail’s $316.45 per night, and well above the $90.19 per night in Glenwood Springs.
-Mountain Business Journal, 01.25.06

CHIPOTLE IPO
Denver-based Chipotle Mexican Grill has set its initial trading price at $22 for trading set to begin today on the New York Stock Exchange under the symbol CMG. Chipotle is offering 7.9 million shares, worth $173.8 million.
-Denver Post, 01.26.06

WEB = LOWER COMMISSIONS?
Re/Max International Inc. co-founder and chairman Dave Liniger predicts real-estate commissions will drop to about 4% over the next five years as many real estate firms enable homebuyers to access multiple listing services from their Web sites, saving time and resulting in an agent showing fewer properties.
-Denver Post, 01.26.06

DENVER: NO PLACE TO RENT
The Denver-area apartment vacancy rate fell to 7.9% at the end of last year, the lowest since 2000. Analysts predict the vacancy rate will continue to fall in 2006.
-Rocky Mountain News, 01.26.06

HOME SALES: DOWN AGAIN
Sales of existing homes fell in December for the 3rd-consecutive month, in a surprisingly sharp drop that signaled the housing market is cooling faster than expected. The median price for a home in December was $211,000, an increase of 10.5% from a year earlier.
-USA Today, 01.26.06

N.M.: $12M RODEO VENUE
New Mexico Gov. Bill Richardson announced Tuesday the state would spend up to $12 million for a state-of-the-art rodeo and equestrian facility. The State Rodeo Council was directed to propose a site in 60 days. The governor also proposed spending $3 million to improve local rodeo facilities. There are seven state rodeo organizations with 4,987 members and last year, rodeos brought in $2.2 million to the state.
-Farmington Daily Times, 01.26.06

NEW REC CENTER PLAN FOR MV
The Mountain Village Metropolitan District and the Homeowner’s Association voted unanimously Wednesday to pursue building the $18 million, 30,000-square-foot Mountain Village recreation center in the Mountain Realty project, on the lower level on Lot 161CR, near the main gondola stop at the ski area base. A refined plan for the rec center on the site will be presented to the boards on Feb. 16.
-Telluride Daily Planet, 01.26.06

TENNIS CENTER GETS FUNDING
The Steamboat Springs City Council agreed to allocate $28,100 to The Tennis Center to offset revenue lost since reconstruction began last year and to pay for start-up costs for the center’s re-opening. The plan was to have the center completed by winter, but construction delays and the early onset of bad weather compounded the costs.
-Steamboat Pilot, 01.26.06

TEENS AND SEAT BELTS
The Colorado Department of Transportation reported that seat belt use by teens remained at about 70%, but seat belt use by rural teens was lower than urban teens. Mesa County ranked 14th out of 19 counties surveyed, at 62.5%, followed by Garfield, Moffat, and Montrose County, at 17th, with only 55.5%.
-GJ Daily Sentinel, 01.26.06

GOING X? RIDE THE BUS
For those planning to go to the Winter X Games at Buttermilk, ride the bus. There will be free parking at Cozy Point, three miles west of Buttermilk on Highway 82, and at the adjacent Brush Creek park-and-ride lot. Free shuttles will serve both lots. Free X Games buses will also run continuously from Buttermilk to downtown Aspen.
-Aspen Times, 01.26.06

EDWARDS, THE TOWN?
Edwards, in mid-valley Eagle County, is not incorporated, therefore has no town boundaries, but discussion continues whether it pays an appropriate amount for services received from the county. The county finance director calculated Edwards paid about $5.6 million in property and sales taxes, while the county spent $12.1 million in Edwards. Edwards has about 22% of the county’s population.
-Vail Daily, 01.25.06

DOW, SPORTSMEN MEETING
The Colorado Division of Wildlife will host a meeting of the northwest Sportsmen’s Advisory Group in Rifle on Thursday, Feb. 2. The meeting is open to the public and there is no agenda, with the purpose of gathering public input. Each of the four DOW regions has an advisory group.
-Rio Blanco Herald Times, 01.26.06

HOT SPRINGS PARK?
After a potential deal to sell the Trimble Hot Springs has fallen through, owner Ruedi Baer is planning to offer to sell the hot springs to the City of Durango or La Plata County to be operated as a public park. Interest from the city and county has been only “lukewarm”, and the property remains listed for $4.5 million.
-Durango Herald, 01.26.06

CHINA: 4TH LARGEST ECONOMY
The Chinese economy grew 9.9%, at minimum, last year, with a total economic output of US$2.26 trillion, which sent China soaring past France, Britain and Italy into fourth place of the world’s largest economies. China only trails the U.S., Japan and Germany. Rising exports have helped lift China to an average annual growth rate of 9.6% over the past 25 years, but consumer spending is becoming increasingly more important as well. Retail sales in China increased 12.5% last year. China was a major force in lifting Germany and Japan from recession by importing equipment for power plants, cranes, trucks and other capital items.
-International Herald Tribune, 01.25.06

ESPELHO: NEW HOT SPOT
Espelho, and its 2.5-mile stretch of black-and-white sand beach in northeast Brazil, has long been a hideaway for the country’s high rollers, but now is undergoing a conversion into a tourist destination. Espelho, and nearby Trancosco, 10 miles north, are sites for US$1 billion in investments over the next three years, following on $1 billion in investment over the past decade. The investments are part of a government low-interest loan program to address the poverty and out-migration from the area, which is known for its African influences in everything from food to music. Not all locals are welcoming the outsiders, however, some restaurants still require local connections to get in and some require visitors to be accompanied by a local.
-Wall Street Journal, 01.21.06

THE YEAR OF THE DOG
Chinese New Year’s Day is Sunday, January 29. It is year 4703 by the Chinese calendar, the Year of the Dog. Some things to do:
-For the 15 days of the new year, greet others with “Kung Hei Fat Choi” (“Wishing You Prosperity and Wealth”);
-Give each child two Lai See (red envelopes with gifts of money), happiness comes in twos;
-Wear new clothes, preferably red for luck
-South China Morning Post, 01.26.06

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