County supports Sunlight chairlift replacement
PUD modification greenlights telecommunications tower at Aspen Glen
PRESS RELEASE
June 19, 2024
Garfield County has approved a letter stating that no new land use permits are required for a chairlift replacement project at Sunlight Mountain Ski Resort. The two-person Segundo chairlift is being replaced by a three-person model in 2025, necessitating tree removal, excavation, and construction of eight new foundations, as well as a new lift house and terminal.
The county has provided a letter of support to the U.S. Forest Service (USFS) that notes the land use permits are not required for the project since the new chairlift is being constructed within the existing lift’s alignment. The USFS, which owns the land the resort operates on, has authorized the project, and the Colorado Passenger Tramway Safety Board (CPTSB) is the regulatory agency overseeing the replacement.
The lift replacement is excluded from an environmental assessment (EA) or environmental impact statement because “the project involves replacement of a chairlift, and infrastructure improvements at an existing recreation site,” the USFS project review notes.
Ross Terry, chief operations officer for Sunlight, told the Board of County Commissioners that the project is ready to begin.
“We have all the shovels ready to go,” he said.
Construction of the foundations is taking place from July 1 through Aug. 15, this summer, and the overall project completion date is slated for Nov. 15, 2025.
The board approved the letter unanimously, 2-0, with Commissioner Tom Jankovsky recusing himself from the vote, noting that he owns stock in Sunlight.
Built in 1954, Segundo has a capacity of 970 people per hour and first operated in Aspen before being installed at Sunlight in 1973. The replacement lift, which was in operation at Arapahoe Basin from 2001 to 2022, will carry 1,400 people an hour, an increase of 44 percent, according to the USFS review.
PUD modification greenlights telecommunications tower at Aspen Glen
A minor planned unit development (PUD) modification has been approved by Garfield County that allows for the construction of a wireless telecommunications facility tower in the Aspen Glen neighborhood near Carbondale. The tower and subsequent equipment will help bolster cellular signals in the area, improving day to day communications capabilities and providing more reliability during emergencies.
The 65-foot “monopine” tower is designed for multiple carriers, according to the land use change permit application that was submitted to the county by Verizon and the Carbondale and Rural Fire Protection District (CRFPD).
The telecommunications site is being built on a 0.7-acre parcel in the golf course zone district that was designated for a CRFPD station. While the station has not been developed at this time, the tower location allows for future use of the site by the district for a fire protection station. The tower is available for improved emergency services communication for the district. The fire district board has approved the application.
The Aspen Glen PUD was initially approved in 1992, before telecommunications facilities were in abundance. Lance Bleyhl of Retherford Enterprises, Inc, representing Verizon Wireless, said that the effort to bring the tower to Aspen Glen has been a strong collaboration between Version, the fire district, the golf course, residents, and the homeowners association.
“One of the components of this was finding a spot that we felt provided the least obtrusive design that met the minimum requirements for Verizon to overall meet its coverage objectives,” he told the board. “We wanted to make sure we were designing a good site. We’ve set the site up in a location where future use by the Carbondale and Rural Fire Protection District isn’t inhibited.”
Garfield County Community Development staff recommended approval of the project with conditions, including adhering to all Federal Communications Commission (FCC) and Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) standards, among others.
The board approved the PUD modification unanimously, 3-0.