Ouray Real Estate

Citizens seek to acquire Ouray Real Estate

2009-07-11T10:51:00.000-07:00

Summer folk step to plate in Wright project...Part-timers pitch in

Posted by Erin Eddy - www.ourayland.com and www.ridgwayland.com

Special to the Plaindealer - written by Ouray Plaindealer Staff

Second home owners and year round residents in Ouray County have a special opportunity this summer to join together on a major project now shifting into high gear - the Campaign to Save the Wright Opera House.

This ambitious fundraising effort is well-suited to involve summer and year-round residents alike, working together on a project that impacts the future economic infrastructure and lifestyle of the community, while preserving the history of the area.

The campaign's goal is to purchase and rehabilitate the Wright, create a county-wide arts center to serve the growing activity of the several arts organizations and eventually provide the premier small performance space in the region.

The Friends have completed the initial preparatory steps needed to assure that going forward to purchase the building is feasible, including an appraisal and an historic preservation structural engineering assessment with projections on needed repairs and equipment following the purchase of the building.

Grant applications are currently being written to several foundations which participate in capital purchases, including the Colorado Historic Society. Huesing estimated that in order to indicate solid community commitment to the foundations in question, about $200,000 will need to be raised or pledged locally by Sept. 1, for intended purchase in 2010. Currently over $80,000 has been raised in cash, pledges, and grants, some of which has been used to pay for the preparatory analyses. Phases of potential development, along with historic details, can be viewed at www.SaveTheWright.org.

Summer residents Kelvin and Becky Kent recently made a pledge to the project.

"Ouray's Wright Opera House is more than just a cultural icon and Victorian masterpiece," They said. "It's an important piece of our history, heritage and connection with the past. It needs to be saved for future generations and put to use as a venue for activities, entertainment and a vibrant Main Street storefront. We think it is right to support the ongoing efforts of the hard working Friends of the Wright Opera House to achieve their goal of securing this wonderful building for posterity."

From the business perspective, a pledge from Box Canyon Lodge owners Rich and Karen Avery noted, "We see the arts as the other bookend, with our fantastic recreation assets, to solidify the economy in Ouray County. An upgraded, fully functioning Opera House will provide the missing link in the spectrum of experiences we offer full-time residents, summer residents, and visitors. In our opinion, our investment in the effort of the Friends of the Wright Opera House is an investment in the future of our own business."

Summer resident Ralph Huesing chairs the Friends of the Wright Opera House, sharing his considerable experience with historic commercial buildings.

Another long-time summer resident, Duane Compton, is helping coordinate participation by other second home residents. Several other seasonal residents are participants in the volunteer corps forming to help with managing events and fund-raising activities. Huesing invites other second home owners to become involved in the project.

"Our current focus is to create awareness by all residents of the project and its potential," Huesing said. "We will provide personal tours of the facility for everyone, whether summer or year-round residents, to show the current status of the building and to further develop the vision and dynamics for best use into future years. We want everyone to enjoy the events currently planned. We need volunteers to help with planning the future implementation of the building to serve the broadest range of the population. And, we want those willing to help with the financial challenge to be well-informed about how their support in purchasing the building will affect the economic and cultural health of their community, as well as the major tax benefits associated with that support."

Several events and activities are planned to specifically bring the summer residents into the long term process to "Save the Wright.

Joyce Linn, chair of the Community Development Committee, has often addressed the need to involve summer residents in the community and its progress. She sees the Opera House project as a perfect vehicle for second home owners and year round residents to work together.

"Our summer home population is as big as our year-round population. That presence significantly adds to the vitality and the economy which we all value, but as a community we don't create adequate opportunities to actively encourage summer residents to feel involved and more fully participate, along with the year-round residents, in the overall progress of the community," she said. "We know that our summer residents bring with them great ideas and knowledge from their experiences elsewhere. The conceptualization and implementation of a project like this can benefit from the combined perspectives of the two components of our population. We hope that anyone who wants to be involved in any part of this project will contact us."

Huesing added his part-time residency perspective.

"The Friends of the Wright Opera House was formed to manage this initiative, and we welcome all residents to join us in accomplishing this major challenge. For second home owners, it is especially workable because we can have involvement year-round as we monitor progress and offer advice even when not in residence. And, of course, our financial support can substantially speed up the process, adding to the contributions of the year round population. It might even provide some bragging rights when returning to our winter residences as we share a bit about what we are helping to accomplish for our summer town. Our help and involvement to create a top-notch venue for a full menu of quality entertainment and arts education will be an added benefit to the community. We will share the pride in 'our Opera House'... restored and fully functioning."

Any category of residents wishing to sign up for a tour, attend events, participate in planning activities or the volunteer group, or obtain information regarding a donation or a pledge should call Huesing or Linn, or other board members Nancy Nixon, Dee Williams, or Jim Opdahl.

Ouray Real Estate Mining Claim Development

2009-07-03T17:14:00.001-07:00

Posted by: Erin Eddy

www.ourayland.com
www.ridgwayland.com

Panel hears strong pros, cons on proposed Alpine Zone regs

New rules for building home on mining claim parcels in the Alpine Zone need more refinement, according to the county's Planning Commission (OCPC).

A draft of proposed changes to the Land Use Code (LUC) regarding residential development on mining claims and other parcels in the southern end of the county, including creation of a new South Alpine Zone, was tabled by the OCPC following a contentious public hearing on June 18.

Under consideration were modifications and additions to existing zoning regulations and boundaries.

But more than 50 people appeared at the public hearing and at least 22, many of whom own mining claims in the county, spoke in opposition to amending the LUC. Several claimed that language of the proposed regulations was overly broad, constitute an infringement on private property rights and is lacking in protection for miners. Several miners said that the entire document should be scrapped, arguing that their property values will decrease.

"Patented claims are private property. Every person has a right to do what he wants with this property. I don't agree with any of it; we have enough government already. The higher you go the worse it gets," said Ron Williams, who has worked with his son, Ron Jr., in the mining industry for several decades.

Several provisions in the draft document generated criticism from patented mining claim owners - who spoke in solidarity. The 12% maximum limit for the grade of the access road (even though the owner may seek a variance) is too restrictive and arbitrary; the limit of one-half acre for a building footprint should be expanded; the prohibition of construction of a new road or improvements to existing roads on the subject parcel (except where there is no existing access to that property) could impact those who wish to install roads for exploratory drilling; and the maximum, or base allowance, for a house being limited to 2,500 square feet of footprint for the total acreage.

The three principal partners of the Tisdel Law Firm in Ouray - Mike Hockersmith, Mark Howe and Andy Mueller - also were present at the hearing.

Hockersmith said the maximum limit of 7,500 square feet for a home where two or more parcels can be included in the calculation is "a huge issue that ought to be addressed."

Howe, who participated in the workshop discussions as an OCPC member, recused himself at the beginning of the June 18 public hearing due to any apparent conflict of interest. The firm represents some mining parcel owners.

Mueller argued that the regulations are) too cost prohibitive for an applicant. "The cost of studies, site plans and geotechnical prevents someone from being able to afford a house in that zone," he said.

Mueller also said that the standards in the document for items such as site plans, lack specificity and that staff in the county's Land Use Department office would be vested with "too much sole discretion" in their decision-making. He also expressed dismay that fencing restrictions were inappropriate for mining claim properties that have a home situated on it: "Now you're telling owners you can't fence your property. That's not okay."

Eight individuals, including Tammy Randall-Parker, Ouray District Ranger for the U.S. Forest Service, spoke in favor of the proposed mine land regulations. But some recommended that the regulations be made more clear and include other considerations. Randall-Parker suggested that the county add language to clarify snow maintenance; the USFS is in the process of developing regulations to require permits.

Howard Greene, a former OCPC member, said the current draft "neither prevents mining or home construction. In fact, (it is) more permissive than in other counties, allowing larger homes and easier variances. They are not a denial of rights and are not a taking."

A six-month moratorium set by the Board of County Commissioners on the construction of residences on mining claims in Ouray County expires July 26.
The BOCC did not take any action during its June 22 meeting to extend that deadline.

Following last week's hearing the OCPC scheduled another workshop on July 9 to discuss whether or not to rewrite portions of the document.
The OCPC wrote the draft proposals pursuant to a request from the BOCC. A total of six workshops were conducted, beginning 18 months ago.
The BOCC asked that the Planning Commission hold another public hearing regarding the proposals on July 21.

- Story by Christopher Pike, correspondent

Ouray Real Estate News

2009-06-27T09:08:00.000-07:00

See Forever Village Takes New Tack in Marketing Resort Real Estate

by Greta Stetson Jun 25, 2009

Posted by Erin Eddy

www.ourayland.com

Real estate buyers have until August 14 to name their own price on seven pre-furnished luxury residences in Mountain Village. That is, as long as the price they name is $2 million, or more.

The last seven vacant condominiums at See Forever Village at The Peaks are on the market this summer by way of an online bidding system.

See Forever developer John Abrams hopes his “Developer Celebration Sale” will inject some new enthusiasm into the Telluride real estate market and establish a new mechanism for the purchase of resort property.

Just north of The Peaks, See Forever Village is a set of 24 condominiums and four freestanding residences that overlook the Telluride Valley Floor. The units, fully furnished by The Decorator's Unlimited, are also managed by The Peaks, a contract that gives See Forever Village owners access to housekeeping services, maintenance, membership to the Golden Door Spa, and other amenities.

Construction, which was divided into three phases, started on the project in 2002, and units started selling in 2004. Now, to sell the last seven, Abrams is responding to a changed market.

“It's no longer a seller's market,” he says. “It's a buyers market.”

Abrams believes that there are still buyers who would like to own Telluride real estate, but they haven't gotten the push they need: a good deal. Marketing consultant Lynette Hegeman says that, rather than just lowering the price, See Forever's new bidding system allows interested parties to name a price they think is reasonable.

Under the system devised by Abrams and Hegeman, buyers can start making bids online after they submit a $25,000 deposit, which is fully refundable if they don't submit a bid that is accepted. Four of the units' starting bids are $2 million, two of the others start at $2.7 million, and the final one is $2.8 million. The condos range from 2,580 to 3,441 square feet.

Abrams also has also established a maximum price for each of the residences; if a buyer reaches the reserve price, the bidding will stop and they will get the condo immediately. Otherwise, the residences will go to the highest bidder, but even that doesn't guarantee a unit. Just because bidding for a unit starts at $2 million doesn't necessarily mean that Abrams will accept that price.

“John Abrams isn't here to give away units,” he says. “I didn't work this hard to sell these units at a ridiculously low price.”

Abrams adds that he isn't desperate to sell the rest of See Forever; since the units are fully built and his construction loans are paid off, he is not losing money while the condos are vacant. Rather, Abrams wants to sell because that's what developers do.

“My incentive is to turn over units and invest the money in other projects. I'm not in the business of sitting on real estate,” he says. “This is not a distress sale. This is a marketing model.”

Hegeman adds that anyone considering buying luxury real estate could probably afford one of the condos without the sale.

“A lot of [potential buyers] don't have to worry about financing,” Hegeman says.

The difference, now, is that these “smart, savvy” buyers are getting a good deal by being able to choose their price, Hegeman says, and if wealthy potential buyers see a good deal, they'll take it.

And in a low-price market, Abrams knows that buyers won't bite without “all the bells and whistles,” including spacious rooms, furnishings and views.

Abrams entered the real estate market in Mountain Village 15 years ago, when he bought and later sold a penthouse at The Peaks. He went on to build ten homes in Mountain Village and The Lodge at Mountain Village. He started building See Forever Village seven years ago, with the pitch that owners there would be liberated from the chores that go along with owing a single-family home.

“There are a lot of second-home buyers that want the convenience of not having to worry about things like summer yard work and mechanical engineering,” Abrams says. “They simply buy a unit and move in.”

Hegeman suggests that the online bidding model for marketing resort property could help stimulate the slow economy. While many developers have cut back on marketing, Hegeman hopes the Developer's Celebration Sale will make waves beyond See Forever Village.

“Other developments might see some response,” she says. “If we sat around and did nothing, nothing would happen.”

Along with advertising in local media, See Forever Village is offering lodging discounts to any buyers who want to visit Telluride to physically tour one of the units. It's also including local brokers, offering them a four percent commission for any of the seven units they sell.

Early in the sale, two of the seven available units have received bids. Hegeman explains that one reason the sale is summer-long is so potential buyers have time to do their “due diligence,” and research other real-estate opportunities. She adds that the sale, which began Monday, June 15, has received positive feedback from current See Forever residents and past prospective buyers.

Telluride Properties agent Brian O'Neill, who lists condominium units at the Capella Telluride, says that while the online bidding system is not necessarily a new idea, it is a creative one that might turn the market “a little bit.” At the Capella, units range from $850,000 to $7 million and 850 to 4,500 square feet.

“Two-million is a great value for one of those units,” O'Neill says.

To entice buyers, Capella is offering a 20 percent discount on the price of the condominium, a year's worth of free homeowners association dues and other benefits. O'Neill says that numerous guests have expressed interest in buying Capella condos, but that interest doesn't necessarily lead to a sale, especially when buyers think that prices could drop even further.

“I'm worried about people actually buying,” he says. “It takes quite a while for people to believe that we're actually at the bottom.”

Abrams agrees that now is a good time to buy Telluride real estate. Because of the slow economy, new properties are not being developed, so once all the available properties are sold, prices will increase dramatically in the three to five years it takes for developers to bring new inventory on the market. He adds that, in his 15 years of real estate experience, he has seen the market cycle from high to low at least three times.

“Once you see the low-lying fruit taken off the market you'll see prices go up.” Abrams says. “I've seen that the market goes down, corrects, and then goes up even higher.”

For more information on the See Forever Village Developer's Celebration Sale, go to www.seeforevervillage.com.

Resort News

2009-06-17T08:29:00.001-07:00

In Ski Country

Written by Allen Best - Jun 11, 2009

Ouray County Watch

Posted by Erin Eddy - www.ourayland.com

Steamboat debates merits of ban on real estate signs

STEAMBOAT SPRINGS, Colo. – Real estate agent Michelle Avery says all real-estate signs should be prohibited by the city’s sign code. “Other resort towns have adopted this ordinance, and I feel strongly that Steamboat should do the same,” she writes in The Steamboat Pilot & Today. “Simply stated, the signs are an eyesore.”

A slew of website bloggers beg to different. One blogger, Ralph Cantafio, contends that outright elimination for aesthetic reasons is simply inappropriate. “Government should be very careful to use only reasonable restrictions,” he writes. Part of his reasoning is that eliminating signs eliminates communication, free communication being a hallmark of a democratic society.

Aspen and T’ride tumble, but not so Jackson Hole

ASPEN, Colo. – Nothing in the numbers being reported in the Aspen area suggest that the economy there has started a comeback. Very much the opposite.

Sales tax collections through the first four months of the year in Aspen were down 20 percent. At nearby Snowmass Village, the drop was more precipitous yet, 30 percent, while real estate transfer tax collections were down 80 percent.

Citing Land Title Guarantee reporting, The Aspen Times says that dollar volume for real estate sales across Pitkin County was off 30 percent compared to 2008 – which ended up being the lowest-volume year since 2004. Down-valley in Garfield County, where the resort economy intersects with the now faltering boom in natural gas drilling, the real estate sales volume was down 80 percent.

In Telluride, the story is the same: sales tax revenues this year have been down 12 to 15 percent, and the real-estate transfer tax at year’s end may total only $750,000, compared to $5 million just two years ago.

Inexplicably, the story in Jackson, Wyo., seems to be different, at least in regard to retail sales, which have been down only 3 percent. Moreover, the Jackson Hole News & Guide reports hope among locals that the economy in Teton County will actually start growing again. Visitation to Yellowstone, after being down for several years, has actually been up 11 percent this year, and at Grand Teton National Park it was even.

What mountain rivers will help Denver grow?

GUNNISON, Colo. – Mountain towns in the Rockies have a symbiotic relationship with Denver and other cities along Colorado’s urbanized, Front Range corridor. It is typically also one of ambivalence

That Front Range corridor already consists of four million people, the single largest source of skiing customers in North America, perhaps anywhere on the planet. That base allows Colorado ski areas with relative proximity to survive even when the more distant - but more lucrative – destination skiers stay at home.

That was evident in last week’s report from Vail Resorts, which has four major ski areas within a two-hour drive of that Front Range population, plus another at Lake Tahoe. While destination skiers dropped to 57 percent of the total visitation this past winter, compared to 63 percent the year before, Vail Resorts had a total decline of skier visits of only 5.3 percent.

But the need of Front Range cities for water causes continuing tension, with reverberations as far away as Jackson, Wyo.

Native supplies were proving inadequate even 125 years ago, when farmers discovered they had insufficient water during late summer to finish their crops. To accommodate their needs, creeks from the western side off the Continental Divide, in the area of Rocky Mountain National Park, were diverted eastward.

Since then, the headwaters areas from Granby southward to Winter Park, Breckenridge, Vail and Aspen, have become configured with an intricate labyrinth of ditches, reservoirs, canals and tunnels, all with the intent of achieving what historian (and Telluride native) David Lavender described as a “massive violation of geography.”

With the easy diversions completed decades ago, Front Range interests began to look for the small increments close in, what has been described as the “last drop,” or with big straws in mind to draw from more distant sources.

The drought of 2002 provoked an even greater intensity of focus. So do population projections that envision the state’s population doubling by the year 2050, with four-fifths of that population growth occurring along the Front Range.

One idea still being studied calls for pumping of water from Green Mountain Reservoir, located on the Blue River, about 20 miles to Dillon Reservoir, for diversion to Denver. A compensatory dam on the Eagle River west of Vail might be the quid pro quo to the Western Slope.

Other ideas look at more distant sources. Aaron Million proposes to withdraw water from the Green River, which starts in Wyoming’s Wind River Range, an hour or two south of the town of Jackson. The river briefly enters Colorado before continuing down to a confluence with the Colorado River near Moab. As such, Million says, Colorado is entitled to the water from the Green as per river compacts reached in 1922 and 1948. But Wyoming isn’t so sure. Even people in Jackson, Wyo., who would be unaffected, have been testy about the idea.

Another idea calls for a diversion from the Yampa River, about 65 miles west of Steamboat Springs. The Yampa is tributary to the Green.

Still another thought sees a potential water source in Blue Mesa Reservoir, west of Gunnison. The water, some 200,000 acre-feet annually, might not actually be withdrawn from the reservoir; but the water stored within the reservoir might be appropriated for diversion to the Front Range.

Recently, reports the Crested Butte News, state representatives visited water district officials in the Gunnison area to talk about the long-term big picture. Harris Sherman, the executive director of the state’s Department of Natural Resources, said the state needed to be “looking 20, 30, 40 years out.”

Complicating the envisioning is the likelihood of reduced water supplies because of warming temperatures and changed precipitation patterns. While scientists remain uncertain, one study at Colorado State University sees a 2 to 20 percent reduction in flows of the upper Colorado River, Sherman noted.

None of the world’s problems were solved at the meeting. But, from the report in the News, it was an uncommonly good one for quotes.

Consider the remarks of Steve Glazer, a long-time water activist from Crested Butte. “There are a plethora of poison pills here,” he said. One such “pill” is that Colorado really is not entitled to as much water as this plan envisions. A study is underway to help sort that out.

Ken Spann, who ranches between Crested Butte and Gunnison, also added some folksiness to the proceedings. He said not enough details about the plan have been provided about the Blue Mesa idea for him to have an informed opinion.

“Without meat on the horse, I can’t tell whether to feed it hay or grain,” said Spann.

Canmore and Banff try to help tourism evolve

CANMORE, Alberta – With real estate development in the tank, Canmore has begun studying how it can foster its tourism economy. The city government has appropriated $80,000 for the study, which will include hiring consultants.

The tourism industry is not broken, said John Samms, who directs an organization called Tourism Canmore. But it is evolving.

Up the road at Banff, municipal representatives were plotting how to sell the Canadian Rockies as an affordable alternative to Whistler for ski vacations when Whistler hosts the Olympics next February.

A bit of grime not all bad in mountain towns

DURANGO, Colo. – Durango has never been a high-end destination resort. True, the town fills with tourists each summer, most drawn to take the narrow-gauge train to Silverton. And in winter there’s a ski area up the road.

But Durango exudes a more earthy, blue-collar feel than even those ski towns that once were mining towns. Durango Telegraph co-editor Will Sands, formerly of Crested Butte and Telluride, says Durango has some hard edges, what he calls “a bit of grease in the town’s silver spoon.”

Yet with plenty of biking trails, whitewater through the middle of town, and sharply defined mountains in the distance, it’s at no loss for outdoor amenities.

“Yep, I’ve seen the royal Hollywood treatment inflicted on two birds of paradise and can tell you first-hand that there are worse creatures lurking in the night than Desert Rock,” says Sand, alluding to a proposed power plant about 50 miles away.

“We’re a pint of excellent microbrew with a thumb-print on the glass,” he concludes.

Summit County prepares to help Senegalese villages

SILVERTHORNE, Colo. – Labor-strapped employers in Summit County a decade ago began recruiting employees from Africa. Among the countries sending residents to work the fast-food joints, clean the hotel rooms and so forth was Senegal, a country considered stable but with a high unemployment rate.

From this intersection of needs now comes an intercultural exchange. The Summit Daily News reports a recent spaghetti dinner at the local Elks Lodge at which Senegalese culture was to be exhibited and funds collected. Plans were to purchase medical supplies, buy mosquito nets, and donate computers to Senegal.

Sun Valley continues debate about airport

KETCHUM, Idaho – The Sun Valley Co., operator of the ski area, continues to argue against a new airport at a location more distant from Ketchum and Sun Valley. Most community groups seem to support a new airport, which would accommodate larger airplanes. But that tentative site will be about twice as far from Sun Valley as the current location at Hailey, about 20 miles from the resort center. Wally Huffman, the company’s director of resort development, fears travelers will be unwilling to pay a premium to fly to the Sun Valley area, rather than to Twin Falls or Boise – Idaho towns that are more distant, but within a couple of hours drive.

Runway extension will increase airport traffic

GYPSUM, Colo. – Eagle County Regional Airport has been closed for the summer while the runway gets extended 1,000 feet. The airport accommodates traffic primarily to the Vail and Beaver Creek area, but also has become a significant portal for Aspen-Snowmass visitors.

When completed, the 9,000-foot-long runway will be better able to accommodate jets flying from distant cities, including New York City. Because of the relatively high elevation, about 6,500 feet, and mountain topography, larger planes taking off from the airport during warmer, summer months cannot carry full passenger loads. This decreases the revenue. A longer runway will also accommodate longer flights during winter, theoretically even from Europe.

As it has for much of the work at the airport during the last quarter-century, the Federal Aviation Administration will pick up 95 percent of the $22 million cost. Compared with the airport at Aspen, where the largest jet holds no more than 74 passengers, many jets at Eagle County Regional have room for up to 194 passengers.

High-tech goodies in hospital at Park City

PARK CITY, Utah – While politicians in Washington D.C. debate how to contain spiraling health-care costs, an $88 million hospital prepares to open near Park City. The Park Record says that a crane was required recently to install a $1.6 million magnetic-resonance imaging machine. “It is rare for a hospital this size to have an MRI like this,” said Jeff Kirk, the medical center’s imaging coordinator. “We will have some really great equipment.” The hospital, located approximately 30 miles from Salt Lake City, also has massive heat lamps, still wrapped in plastic, waiting for their first hypothermia patient. The hospital also has a state-of-the-art decontamination room.

Solar panel installations likely to slow down, too

CARBONDALE, Colo. – While other construction hands have been looking for work, installers of solar panels were working overtime through much of 2009 in the Roaring Fork and Eagle valleys. But now that work will likely slow down, too.

The problem, explains The Aspen Times, is that several organizations that were providing rebates to consumers installing photovoltaic panels have already exhausted their budgets.

For example, when Holy Cross Energy debuted its incentive program in 2004, nobody took advantage of the credits. But last year, 55 projects got rebates. This year, 92 projects had been allocated credits by the end of May.

Causing the surge this year was an additional stimulus, a change in the federal tax code, which added another inducement: a tax credit equal to 30 percent of a solar PV installation cost, minus any rebates.

Mammoth talks about seeming to be on move

MAMMOTH LAKES, Calif. – The Sheet, with a touch of sarcasm, reports on a recent economic development meeting in Mammoth Lakes, at which one speaker suggested a slogan for the community: “Mammoth on the Move.”

For a logo, however, she stops short of suggesting a U-Haul truck, says the newspaper.

The town seems to have its fair share of vacant lots and boarded-up buildings. One of the proposals is to erect signs on vacant lots saying, “Future Site of Mixed Use Development.”

Good enough, said one council member, as long as the signs give no completion dates.

Banff wardens allowed to carry guns in park

BANFF, Alberta – Seven wardens in Banff National Park can now pack Heckler and Koch 9mm handguns while patrolling trails, campgrounds and roads. While it is not their main job, the wardens have the power to deal with dangerous, drunken, or speeding drivers on the park’s roads and highways. Parks Canada has authorized 100 wardens across the country to carry guns. A 2001 ruling found that wardens were at risk of grievous bodily harm, possibly death, unless they carried self-defense equipment.

Teachers’ starting pay going up to $54,500

JACKSON, Wyo. – Teachers in Jackson and Teton County may get raises next year, with the starting salary for a teacher with a bachelor’s degree moving up to $54,500, while one with a master’s degree getting not quite $60,000.

In Colorado’s Summit County, base pay for teachers will be at $37,000 during the next academic year. In Aspen, the beginning pay is $40,200. In the Carbondale-Glenwood Springs area, it will be $35,000.

Affordable Ouray Real Estate

2009-06-06T10:45:00.001-07:00

Posted by: Erin Eddy

www.ourayland.com

Multijurisdictional board ready to act on affordable housing

OURAY Now that a county-wide affordable housing plan has been discussed, studied and drafted over the past five months, its time to put some of its strategies into action.

The Affordable Housing Action Plan, presented to a sparse audience May 27 at the Ouray Community Center, was developed to guide the work of the fledgling Ouray County Housing Authority (OCHA) and to coordinate efforts of the City of Ouray, Town of Ridgway and Ouray County.
The plan consists of five sections: Update of Housing Needs; Policies and Guiding Principles; Goals and Objectives; Action Plan; and Administration.
Our focus was on shared responsibility, said Jen Coates, OCHA board member and Town of Ridgway planner. This is not going to be an out-of-the-gate action plan.
Other OCHS board members are Land Use Coordinator Mike Fedel and Councilwoman Betty Wolfe from Ouray; Ridgway Town Councilman Paul Hebert and from Ouray County former commissioner Don Batchelder. They were assisted in drafting the action plan by Melanie Rees of Rees Consulting in Crested Butte.
Rees said the groupÕs first step was to review a Housing Needs Assessment completed in 2008. Based on surveys conducted the previous year, the report concluded that 149 additional units were needed to address existing or catch-up demand for affordable housing. Since then, however, economic conditions have changed in terms of local construction, employment and demand for housing.
Rees said there is no easy number to define affordable housing and those used are Òare not set in concrete.Ó As an example, she used $61,400 as the annual area median income for a four-person household, which puts an affordable home purchase price at $194,000. She also said, Òwhether you rent or buy, a household should limit its monthly payment to 30% of its gross income.
County Commissioner Lynn Padgett said the housing review showed there has been an increase in second or vacation homes throughout the county, which has caused an increase in residential prices. As noted in the draft plan, despite intergovernmental agreements that residential growth should take place within Ouray and Ridgway, more than half of new home construction from 2000-07 was in the unincorporated area of Ouray County.
The proposed action plan, said Padgett, strives to direct future growth within the urban growth boundaries of the two municipalities. To address existing needs (catch-up) and future needs (keep-up) approximately 55% of affordable housing should be developed in Ridgway, 28% in Ouray and 17% in Ouray County. Up to 50 affordable housing units, evenly split between low and moderate income levels, should be developed by 2012.
Coates said the OCHA board is aware of budget constraints of its three participating jurisdictions and that some of its 12 strategies require further study and analysis. For that reason the plan, according to its most recent draft, Òoutlines a pragmatic approach that focuses immediately on improvements to the existing housing inventory and postpones plans for unit development until market indicators suggest that new construction would be prudent and feasible.
Should the county, city and town agree, two of those strategies could get underway this year. Rehabilitation & Weatherization would provide assistance to existing residential units to address high utility costs, unsafe surroundings and the potential for overcrowding and dissatisfaction due to disrepair or less than desirable living conditions. Assistance could include energy audits, grants and low-interest loans.
Second is a common, or similar, Annexation Policy followed by the City of Ouray and the Town of Ridgway. New development would be required to address not only the impacts to housing that it directly generates, but to improve conditions that currently exist in the communities, including a shortage in the availability of affordably priced housing, be it for sale or for rent.
Coates said itÕs still a work in progress to determine the tasks for each strategy, how it might happen and how much it will cost. The next step, she said, is to gain as much input as possible by June 5 from a questionnaire on the draft plan. (A copy of the draft plan, and the questionnaire, is available on the Town of Ridgway website).
OCHA members and its task force will hold a follow-up meeting and prepare a final draft by June 24.

By Patrick Davarn, news editor

Ouray real estate future encroachment isses

2009-05-23T09:18:00.000-07:00

Council Ponders Permits for Use of Sidewalks

Written by Gus Jarvis

Posted by Erin Eddy

www.ourayland.com
www.ridgwayland.com

SIDEWALK USE – Town staff has been directed by the Ridgway Town Council to come up with permitting standards for the use of public sidewalks for patio seating. (Photo by Cecily Bryson)
slideshow Affects Businesses With Patio Seating for Patrons

RIDGWAY – A simple request to transfer a liquor license sparked a lengthy discussion of outdoor seating in public rights-of-way at the Ridgway Town Council Wednesday.

A number of businesses in town already have small patio tables on adjacent sidewalks, but the process for allowing such seating has largely gone unnoticed, until now. Council was asked to approve the transfer of a liquor license to Randy Gregory, who runs Randy’s Independence Café, and included in that request was the use of the sidewalk that runs parallel to Clinton Street.

Council granted the transfer request, but without the sidewalk provision – a situation they deemed needed further review, as the scenario will likely come before them again. Town Clerk Pam Kraft told council the owners of the Colorado Boy brewery, located on Clinton and Cora streets, will also soon be requesting the use of its adjacent sidewalks for patio seating.

At the center of Wednesday’s discussion was whether or not patio seating on the public right-of-way for restaurants and bars should be included in the actual licensing process or if it should be a part of a separate permitting process.

“I would be OK with it essentially being a permit,” Mayor Pat Willits said, adding that if the use includes the consumption of alcohol “it does deserve the opportunity for the public to comment.”

Most councilmembers and town staff agreed that a permitting process would be the best way to control individual situations, but left undecided how far the permitting process should reach. Should every business in town that has a table in the right-of-way be required to hold a permit? How does the consumption of alcohol change a particular permit? And is a measured encroachment onto a sidewalk allowable at a certain distance for all establishments?

According to the Ridgway Municipal Code, the use of sidewalks can be approved by town council as long as it does not obstruct or construct any other improvement or impede or obstruct normal pedestrian traffic. Furthermore, the code states: “Public and private uses of the public rights-of-way for location of equipment employed in the provision of public services should, in the interests of the general welfare, be accommodated; however, the Town must insure that the primary purpose of the right-of-way, passage of pedestrian and vehicular traffic, is maintained to the greatest extent possible.” It goes on to state that a permit is not required for minor encroaching structures, such as tables and chairs, authorized by council approval.

Still, Town Attorney John Kappa said on Wednesday that a permit would help the town keep control of any encroachments.

“The business of encroaching upon and using rights-of-way is very difficult to treat consistently,” Kappa said.

Council agreed, at least informally, that businesses would need to apply for a special use permit to use sidewalks for business purposes. The details of those permits are to be worked out by town staff in the coming weeks.

“What we are asking is for a special use permit and for you guys to come back with the standards,” Willits told staff to close the discussion.

Ouray Homerule

2009-05-14T13:00:00.001-07:00

Home Rule gains election victory

Posted by Erin Eddy

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Voters endorse Charter

Plaindealer staff report

Voters in Ouray approved converting municipal government structure to Home Rule on Tuesday by an overwhelming margin of 165-58.
"I regret not being in town for the election but am delighted with the results. The solid support is an indicator of the trust and confidence the community has in the team that put the Charter together. Thank you and congratulations to all of you," said Mayor Bob Risch.
City Administrator Patrick Rondinelli expressed thanks to everyone for their hard work, dedication, and support. Rondinelli noted that Ouray becomes the state’s 99th Home Rule municipality.
Tuesday’s voting tally was 91 in favor to 33 against in Ward 1, east of Main Street, and 74 to 25 in Ward 2, west of Main. Under the approved Home Rule Charter, council members will no longer be elected to represent a ward.
The May 5 election follows the process of establishing home rule in Ouray, which began last November when city voters approved a home rule ballot question by a margin of 392 ballots in favor to 235 against.
That referendum also determined the election of nine candidates to the Charter Commission: Pam Larson, who served as chairman, Matt Genuit, Mike Fedel, Rick Spaulding, Dee Williams, Betty Wolfe, Joe Kersen, Lora Slawitschka and Gary Hansen.
“This is truly a celebratory and historic day for the City of Ouray, its citizens, and the community as a whole,” said Genuit. “The most sincere gratitude and accolades to everyone who was a part of this process. I am proud to have contributed to it. Congratulations to the home rule municipality of Ouray.”
Home rule, in its simplest terms, allows the City of Ouray and its citizenship to self-govern and be free of state-enabled legislation.
The Charter sets forth the form of government under the direction of City Council and City Administrator. The administrator is accountable to the council and responsible for the effect and enforcement of any and all regular city business.
As it is now, the City Council will consist of five members, including the mayor, and will be elected at-large without term limits. All current ordinances, referendums, contracts and initiatives remain in effect.
Also as before, any changes in city tax rates must go to the vote of the citizens of Ouray and a vote will still be required even if TABOR is changed or overturned.
The Charter is made up of 12 articles: General Provisions; City Council; Council Procedures; Elections; Administration; Initiatives and Referendums; Municipal Court; Utilities, Franchises and City Property; Finance; Borrowing; Improvement Districts, Authorities, and Assessments; and Effective Date and Transitions Provisions. A copy is available at the city website (www.ci.ouray.co.us).
Ten years ago, Ouray voters declined a home rule measure, 191-154, on the 1998 ballot. In 2001, voters rejected home rule for Ouray County, 780-731. Ridgway converted to home rule in 1993. Other neighboring municipalities operating under Home Rule Charters include Montrose, Delta and Telluride.

Ouray Real Estate Values

2009-05-02T11:39:00.001-07:00

Written by: Beverly Corbell - Ouray County Watch

Posted by: Erin Eddy

County assessor offices make valuations of property every two years, Griffith said, and many property owners expected to see their property values going lower than they were in 2007.

But that’s not the reality, she said.

“The perception of property owners, especially those who have had their property on the market for a length of time, is that values are dropping,” Griffith said in a news release. “However, in general, that is not the case. The assessors’ values are not based on the number of sales but on the prices of the properties that have sold.”

Actual values of properties are determined “after careful analysis” of sales prior to June 30, 2008, and the value becomes the basis for property taxes, Griffith said.

“To derive the property tax, the actual value of the property is multiplied by the assessment rate,” she said. “This result is then multiplied by the total mil levy specific to each property.”

The data that revealed the Western Slope is “bucking the trend” nationally was the result of several weeks of collaboration to identify trends in valuations for the region, with a lot of help from Montrose County Assessor Brad Hughes and Ouray County Assessor Susie Mayfield, Griffith said. Also helping compile data were the county assessors from the counties of Moffatt, Routt, Rio Blanco, Garfield, Eagle, Mesa, Pitkin, Delta, Gunnison, San Miguel, San Juan, Montezuma, and La Plata.

The collaboration was a first for the 16 counties, Griffith said.

“We actually started working on the project in January, and this is the first time we all came together with a press release, but we all wanted to get this information out,” she said.

Just what the future holds as far as valuations are concerned is anybody’s guess, Mayfield said.

The next valuation period, in 2011, will depend on sales from January of this year through June of 2010, she said.

“It’s hard to say what 2011 will bring,” she said. “We haven’t gotten to the normal real estate market time – summertime – and it’s hard to say what the economy will do and what people will be able to pay for a home or land.”

Ouray Real Estate up for bid

2009-04-25T13:57:00.000-07:00

County puts surplus land up for bidding

Written By Patrick Davarn

Posted by: Erin Eddy

www.ourayland.com
www.ridgwayland.com

County commissioners are in the process of offering for sale, to the highest bidder, several parcels of land in Ouray.
The Board of County Commissioners adopted a resolution Monday that declares Lots 3-5, and Lots 20-22, both within Block 1 near and above the intersection of Highway 550 and County Road 361 as surplus. The property will be offered for sale in accordance with the county policy.
County Administrator Connie Hunt described access to the parcels as Òvery verticalÓ and at present of no practical use to the county. Consideration of selling it began when adjacent property owner Bob Smith approached the BOCC last month and asked about a right-of-way easement or if he could buy the property.
HuntÕs follow-up report to the BOCC included a suggestion of declaring the property as surplus as it has Òno efficient or appropriate useÓ and that it not be sold for less than fair market value. An appraiser will be hired and Hunt said the buyer, if any bid is accepted, will reimburse the county for that cost.
During last monthÕs discussion, Commissioner Keith Meinert suggested that the land be put up for bid. On Monday he repeated his assertion that it is not being done specifically for one interested party.
ÒWe are not catering to one individual,Ó said Meinert. ÒAll we are saying is this property is surplus, it doesnÕt fit any county purposes and we are willing to dispose of it.Ó
Meinert said if the county agrees to accept a bid on the property, any development of the parcels must conform with City of Ouray regulations.
Hunt said at the BOCCÕs April 13 meeting that any proceeds from the sale, should the county accept a bid, will be deposited and held in a separate account. She suggested that any such funds be used in the future for capital projects or to have matching funds required for most grants.
BOCC Chairman Heidi Albritton said she liked the idea of a separate account, not placing any such revenues in the General Fund. ÒI suggest we have a discussion on how to earmark these kinds of funds, especially for use in improving our (county) facilities,Ó she said.
Commissioner Lynn Padgett agreed. ÒDay-to-day operations should not be funded by the sale of our assets.Ó
Smith informed county officials that he owns six lots next to those owned by the county and two lots owned by Tom and Cynthia Vallejos, with whom he is seeking access. In a letter to the BOCC he said their intention is to gain access to their land from a site near the Colorado Department of Transportation facility along CR 361.

Ouray Affordable Real Estate

2009-04-17T14:16:00.001-07:00

Regional Housing Authority Moves Ahead With Plan
by Gus JarvisApr 15, 2009 | 40 views | 0 | 0 | | Short-Term Solutions Include Home Rehabilitation and Weatherization

OURAY – While there is little question of the need for affordable housing in Ouray County, the actual number of units required to catch up with the region’s current growth, and projected growth, is a moving target. Combine that with the recession and streamlined budgets of local governments and the process of solving the region’s housing problems has been no easy task for the 10-member Regional Housing Authority.

Still, the group of elected and appointed officials from the City of Ouray, Town of Ridgway and Ouray County is three-quarters of the way finished with a housing plan.

Ridgway Town Planner Jen Coates, who sits on the housing authority board, told the Ouray Board of County Commissioners on Monday that even if affordable housing units cannot be funded immediately because of tightened budgets, the housing authority still intends to create an effective and realistic housing plan for the region.

The authority, with the help of consultant Melanie Rees, has been formulating its plan with data from the 2008-completed housing needs assessment. According to that assessment, there is currently a need for 149 units of affordable housing to catch up with current demands. By 2015, the region will need close to 200. The assessment also states that 75 percent of employees who work within Ridgway live outside Ouray County and that housing costs have increased 10 percent a year with real employee wages increasing at a rate of 2.1 percent a year.

With the understanding that those numbers may have changed from the time the assessment was completed in 2008, the housing authority decided to reassess them in formulating the plan.

“In light of the current economy and changes, we thought it would be a good idea to check in to make sure we end up with a realistic and effective plan that we can feel comfortable putting into action,” Coates told the commissioners. She did not go into details on how those housing needs may have changed, but said the housing action plan and final report will be completed by the end of May.

“We know what the need is,” she said, adding that the question the group now faces is “how do we put a plan into place.”

Coates said that the final report will be made up of six components. It will address the 2008 needs assessment as well as the reevaluation and modification of those numbers to coincide with current conditions. The group also looked at housing trends in Ouray County, like second home ownership and the mix of housing types and income targets.

Other components of the plan call for the authority to create housing goals and objectives that outline the actual housing numbers targeted and to decide on priority strategies to solve the housing problem.

“This is, in part, where we are at right now,” Coates said. “What are our catch-up strategies and what are our keep-up strategies? Frankly, the keep-up strategies are easy. The catch-up strategies require funding. We are excited about keep-up but catch-up is going to be tricky.”

For example, Coates said municipalities can enact certain regulations for future developments that would include a certain percentage of affordable housing. These regulations, like inclusionary zoning, once in place, will be the “keep-up” as the region grows.

To play “catch-up” with the region’s housing needs, money is the main factor.

In the short-term, Coates said, one strategy is to look at the existing housing stock and then lower housing costs through house rehabilitation and weatherization programs.

“There is funding out there for those that don’t require a significant amount of cash,” she said. For example, the Youth Corps recently performed energy audits on 25 homes in Ouray County, and in so doing provided energy efficient light bulbs, handed out exterior and interior laundry lines, and installed energy efficient thermostats. The audits were funded through the Governor’s Energy Office and created by Grand Junction-based Housing Resources. Such programs can be used in this belt-tightening economy to lower housing costs and will be a part of the housing authority’s final plan.

Coates said another portion of the plan will outline the methods of implementation, while the final piece of the plan deals with its administration, or the “who is going to do it and what is it going to look like.”

After hearing from Coates, the commissioners generally agreed that the group is moving in the right direction and that collaboration between the City of Ouray, the Town of Ridgway and Ouray County to addrress housing needs remains a priority.

The final housing action plan is scheduled for presentation on May 27 at the Ouray Community Center.

Geothermal in Ouray

2009-04-11T09:16:00.001-07:00

Written by: Beverly Corbell

Posted by: Erin Eddy

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www.ridgwayland.com

OURAY — The Ouray City Council took measures at its Monday meeting that will have direct effects on the Ouray Hot Springs Pool: bring more hot water in and keep cold water out.

The council awarded an engineering contract at the meeting to study replacing the Skyrocket Creek diversion, which washed away in 2006, and “in a major flood event” could potentially flood out the pool, said city manager Patrick Rondinelli. The contract was awarded to McMillan Engineering of Ridgway.

A second engineering contract was given to Monadock Mineral Services of Ouray to determine work needed to replace the hot water line from Box Canyon that feeds the Ouray pool.

The current line leaks, Rondinelli said, losing water and heat along the way. The section of line to be replaced runs from Box Canyon to Third Avenue and Oak streets, he said.

“Where the source is, are significant holes in the line from scree debris, and with the river channel, it undercuts the line and (the line) is actually hanging in the air,” he said. “We’re in jeopardy of closing that line, which would have significant impact on the pool.”

Not only will the hot water line be replaced, but other sources of hot water from the many geothermal springs around Ouray will be located, not only for the pool but to increase the likelihood of producing geothermal energy.

Monadock will partner with West Water Engineering to complete the study, Rondinelli said.

“We are really excited to move forward, and in the best-case scenario we hope to have the engineering done by mid-summer and start construction this fall during low river season,” he said. “We still have to go out and get funding for construction and it will probably be next year before the real work is done.”

The Skyrocket diversion project will protect both the pool and U.S. Highway 550 from potential flood damage in case of a major flood event like the flood of 1929. That event “flooded the power plant, took the railroad section house and almost got the depot. Bridges and roads vanished and the Hot Springs Pool filled with mud, rock and debris…,” according to A Brief History of Ouray by historian Doris Gregory.

The Skyrocket diversion has not been replaced since it washed away in 2006, Rondinelli said, and the channel of the creek still wants to run north – to the pool.

“If we do have a significant event, there is nothing to stop it from coming back to its historical drainage, especially if it became plugged,” he said. “Everything would go toward the pool, and we’re just lucky that it hasn’t happened.”

Funding for both engineering studies comes from a $60,000 grant from the state Department of Local Affairs and $40,000 in matching funds from the city, Rondinelli said.

Both projects are vital to Ouray, Rondinelli said. Flooding from Skyrocket Creek could damage the pool in a major flood, he said, and could wash away sections of U.S. Highway 550, the major evacuation route from Ouray to the north.

Keeping the city-owned hot springs pool hot is important because the pool attracts visitors and contributes about $1 million annually to the city’s parks system, Rondinelli said.

“It’s a major tourist attraction, one of the many assets we have along with the beauty of the terrain, the Jeep trails and hiking trails, restaurants and shops, and obviously is a major draw that helps bring people here,” he said.

Ouray Real Estate Land Use Mining Claims

2009-03-21T14:22:00.001-07:00

March 20, 2009
Posted by: Erin Eddy
Written by: Christopher Pike

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www.ridgwayland.com

RIDGWAY – A proposed code that determines how and where a home can be built on mining claims is now in the hands of the Ouray County Planning Commission.

The document, "Historic Mining Claims District Overlay," was written by County Attorney Mark Deganhart and delivered Tuesday to planning commissioners and County Planner Mark Castrodale.

If passed, the final version will be incorporated into the Land Use Code.

The Board of County Commissioners opened its March 17 work session by explaining the vision, goals and objectives of the proposed code. Included in the draft's "purpose and intent" is a commitment to preserve the right of underground mining while accommodating residential home construction on mine land parcels. Moreover, the county seeks to "conserve and protect the natural environment and its resources while also recognizing private property rights associated with parcels in the Mining District."

The BOCC stressed there will be limited public services and facilities available to such properties due to extreme alpine terrain, geohazards and harsh climate. In some cases access by emergency vehicle may not be possible.

Provisions in the draft code include limiting road and driveway improvements and maintenance; preserving historic structures and public access to trails; restricting a home and accessory structure as well as septic and other utility systems to the site's activity envelope; and setting guidelines as to design, visual impact, lighting, fire mitigation and small-scale renewable energy systems.

"This addresses upgrading (mine land development) to something beyond what it was historically allowed," said County Commissioner Lynn Padgett.

A committee comprised of representatives from the county, U.S. Forest Service and area recreational groups is developing a map of historic trails and roads. Establishing where these routes cross existing mining claims may affect where homes can be built. "It's a huge can of worms and we're not trying to have the planning commission address that," said BOCC Chairman Heidi Albritton.

P&Z Chairman Ted Collin said, "We have a lot of questions, not many answers. But private property rights are paramount to our western civilization."

The OCPC will hold four work sessions on proposed mine land regulations with a public hearing May 19. The addition to the LUC should be adopted before July 26, the end of a six-month building moratorium on mining claims.

Ouray County News

2009-03-14T13:44:00.001-07:00

Posted by: Erin Eddy

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www.ridgwayland.com

Written by:

Gus Jarvis
Ouray County Watch

OURAY – With just over five weeks until President-Elect Barack Obama is inaugurated and with the national economy in a recession, it is the general consensus of the Ouray County Commissioners that the county should make a concerted effort to benefit from the economic stimulus package the incoming president may initiate.

While no formal action was taken at Monday’s regular meeting in Ouray, the conversation was sparked by the county’s Emergency Planning Coordinator Alan Staehle, who asked the commissioners if there are any steps to be taken to make sure the county would be in line if the new Congress funds infrastructure upgrades. Staehle further suggested that Colorado Counties Inc. could be a voice for the county.

“I am wondering if CCI shouldn’t be making sure that counties are in line for some that?” Staehle said. “We might have some opportunity if the president’s new infrastructure initiatives put some money into it at the county level.”

Commissioner Keith Meinert agreed, adding that before the National Governors Association meeting with Obama earlier this month, the Colorado Department of Transportation compiled a list of infrastructure projects that are engineered and ready to go if the new president initiates an infrastructure initiative. Locally, Meinert said the passing lane on Highway 550 near the Colona Gap and the Bear Creek Falls bridge are two projects that could be funded.

Commissioner Don Batchelder said chip-sealing roads to would be another immediate option but later cautioned that the county “is going to have to be conscious” about the cost of sustaining chip-sealed roads.

Commissioner Heidi Albritton added that one of the projects Obama has set his sights on is retrofitting public buildings to make them greener and more energy efficient. At some point the Ouray County Courthouse will be overhauled, she added.

“It sounds like Obama’s transition team is inclined to have stimulus that isn’t just roads, this might be something they would want to fast track,” Meinert said. “We are a long way from going forward with the courthouse but if there is money and they are looking for infrastructure projects quickly, that is the kind of thing to [inform] the governor of.”

The overarching question for the county is how to participate, if federal funding for local projects becomes available.

“I wonder what the best way to pursue this is,” Meinert asked, noting that Rep. John Salazar and Sen. Ken Salazar are sensitive to county issues and that it wouldn’t hurt to notify them that at the county-level “we have projects ready to go.”

The commissioners agreed to take steps to ensure the county is ready to act if a stimulus package is passed and Meinert agreed to draft a letter to CCI notifying them of Ouray County’s interest in the matter.

“If counties don’t get their foot in the door, the state could absorb any money without it going any further,” Staehle cautioned.

Ouray Real Estate Foreclosures

2009-03-07T13:13:00.000-08:00

Written by the Ouray Plaindealer

Posted by: Erin Eddy

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Lately, a good chunk of Ouray County Treasurer Jeannine Casolari's time is taken up with the business of foreclosures ... more time than she would like.

"There's other things that go on in this office, like tax collection," she said, in forthright frustration. "February is a busy time with first half property tax payments coming in. Yesterday we collected half a million dollars of property taxes and processed them in a day."

Add to that the flood of foreclosures Casolari and her staff are currently processing, and it makes for a very full plate.

Casolari, whose steady, thoughtful demeanor is belied by a frenzy of curly gray hair and colorful glasses, says that for the size of the county, said the volume of foreclosures she's seeing is nothing short of remarkable, tripling from its rate of a year ago, with no end in sight.

In the past, Casolari said, three to six foreclosures in a year was a lot. In fact, she conducted just two foreclosure sales in 2008. But come October, the national sickness hit home. "What started as a slow year all of a sudden magnified," she said. "All of a sudden, I was getting three foreclosures in a week." By the year's end, eight more foreclosures had been filed in the county.

This year, the numbers are off the charts, in unprecedented territory, with 10 filed already, not two months into 2009. "To see us in the stages of tripling, that's what's scary," Casolari said. "It hasn't let up yet. I expect more next week. We get phone calls from people all the time asking about the fees to get the process started."

Simply keeping up with the statutorily mandated schedule for processing a foreclosure is a daunting task, upon which she and her two staff keep a hawkish eye. "All three of us are looking at these deadlines together," Casolari said.

The process goes like this: the treasurer's office receives the foreclosure packet from the attorney representing the bank which holds the defaulted mortgage. Within that hefty packet are the deed of trust on the property, the original promissory note, combined Notice of Sale, Right to Cure, and Right to Redeam, along with copies of Colorado Revised Statutes 38-38-100 through 705, an Initial Mailing list which has all known addresses for the property owner and other interested parties, a Notice of Election and Demand (NED), and a check for Casolari's expenses, which include two certified mailings, and a mandatory publication for five consecutive weeks of the Combined Notice in the county's newspaper of record.

Casolari notifies the attorney that the foreclosure packet has been received, and takes the NED across the hall to the office of the County Clerk to officially record it, and the clock starts ticking.

Exactly 125 days later (or up to 230 days for agricultural property), after an intricately timed process of mailings and legal notices, another Ouray County property owner will most likely be foreclosed upon.

Once in a while, someone is able to cure the default, and when that happens, it is a moment of quiet celebration for Casolari and her staff in the midst of the maelstrom.

Casolari's seen just one cure recently. Most often, the treasurer has to move forward with the statutorily mandated foreclosure proceedings, because that is her job.

She will conduct an initial and supplemental mailing of the foreclosure documents to every addressee specified by the attorney. The property owners alone may have up to eight different addresses listed by the attorney, ranging from their P.O. box to any known physical addresses, and in some cases, even to "occupant" at the last known street address, in the hopes that whoever is living there now will be able to forward it to the defaulted property owner in question. "They're trying everything to contact that person," Casolari explained.

Out of the 30 or so mailings that Casolari may send out for any one foreclosure, up to 20 may come back. But in the best case scenario, the property owner is successfully notified and able to cure their default – in other words, pay off the debt owed. They must provide written notice of intent to cure, within 15 days prior to the sale. And after the debt has been settled, the attorney withdraws the foreclosure.

The cure must cover the cost of the prosecuting attorney's fees, and depending on the way the mortgage is structured, the considerable interest which may have accrued since the time of the default. More often than not, this is simply beyond reach of the property owner. Then Casolari must conclude the foreclosure with a sale at the front entrance of the Courthouse.

"It's a difficult thing," Casolari said. "It's hard to say I'm doing a foreclosure sale, but it's part of my job." This month, she's held two foreclosure sales already, one on Feb. 11, another just last Wednesday on Feb. 18.

"Most of the time, no one shows up," Casolari said. It's just herself standing there, with her staff as witnesses. The property goes back to the holder of the note. A certificate of purchase is issued, and after the redemption period has expired, she issues a confirmation deed to the holder of the note.

While other parts of the nation have seen banks offloading foreclosed properties at rock-bottom prices to speculators who flock like vultures with cash in hand, Casolari said "...that hasn't been our experience here." Banks, she observed, are selling properties at the face value of the mortgage, plus interest and fees, often for more than the original amount owed by the defaulted property owner.

What she has seen plenty of, however, are the predatory lending practices that triggered the national collapse of the housing market. "With some of these loans, it's just amazing anyone would have signed on the dotted line, with the kind of interest that's accumulating," she said.

Another national trend reflected locally: homes recently gotten into with minimal down payments, such that the amount of debt on the house is equal to or in some cases more than the amount for which the house was purchased in the first place.

"Another sad thing – certain individuals went into foreclosure on more than one property," Casolari noted.

Most of the records on foreclosed properties show that the mortgage has been "bundled," sold by the initial bank that issued it (often a local or regional bank) to a larger institution specializing in mortgage investments.

Conversely, it used to be that the only attorneys she saw involved in foreclosures were specialists from the Front Range. Now, she's seeing more local and regional attorneys getting in on the act. If it is their first time to conduct a foreclosure, often the packet they send is not in order, and Casolari has to ship it back to them for revision.

It is a lot to keep track of. "Some public trustees have hired a full-time assistant to deal with the foreclosures," Casolari said of her regional colleagues. "Everyone is affected." So far, Ouray County's numbers haven't escalated to an emergency level. But it might just be a matter of time.

"I didn't know this would happen to this magnitude," Casolari said. "It hasn't let up yet. Having three foreclosures a week, you almost need one person, simply to manage the timetable."

While Casolari and her staff struggle to keep up with their workload, the families and individuals in foreclosure throughout the Ouray County are trying to come to grips with what is happening to them. Here is portrait of one such family. (Their identity has been withheld to protect their privacy.)

This two-income middle class family, with two children, built their 2000-plus square foot home in 2005, before the economic crisis had started rumbling. They got into a large mortgage at a time when construction costs were going up; half of the land they purchased was covered by the proceeds of the sale of their former home, and the rest of the expenses for land acquisition and home construction came from a loan.

Between two salaries, they were easily able to afford their mortgage, and had no other large expenses in life except the norm--two car loans, one student loan, low credit card balances, etc.

A job loss, and health issues within the family, changed all that. The couple are now in the process of refinancing to save their home from foreclosure, and cut their monthly mortgage payment to make it affordable. They are not working with a local bank, and said their mortgage company was not helpful until they hired a loan modification financial assistant to get them in direct contact with their lenders.

Even if they are able to refinance, the fact remains that the husband still cannot find work locally. The family plans to leave the area if they lose their house, and move in with relatives until they get back on their feet.

While the numbers coming out of Casolari's office show that many families and individuals across the county are in the same difficult position, this couple said they don't know anyone personally who is also to the point of losing their home. "It seems like everyone keeps talking about how tough times are, but I don't personally see many families that are cutting back on expenses (vacations, impulse buying, dining out, etc.)," the wife said.

In the meantime, as they await news from their lender, they are also casting a hopeful eye toward the nation's capitol and its leaders.

"I am hopeful Obama's plans will help not only us and people in our same situation before it is too late, but the country as a whole to get out of this economical crisis that we are all in, regardless of how each is doing as an individual family," said the wife. "I keep hearing about the available money that is out there, but it is not easy to get the assistance needed. It would be nice to have a support group of people who are in our same situation, to get together with to find out what is and is not working to save our homes."

Casolari often refers property owners in foreclosure to Colorado Revised Statutes 38-38-100 through 705, as well as to the Colorado Foreclosure Hotline, 1-877-601-HOPE, http://www.coloradoforeclosurehotline.org/

Ouray Zoning Change Request Denied

2009-03-07T12:33:00.001-08:00

Posted by: Erin Eddy

March 06, 2009
Written By Christopher Pike

County commissioners rejected a landowner's bid to amend Land Use Code zoning standards.

The code amendment, had it passed, would have enabled the property owner next to Eagle Hill Ranch subdivision north of Ridgway to split his land into three lots, matching the density in Eagle Hill.

Commissioners said Monday they accepted the Ouray County Planning Commission's reasoning in its recommendation of denial last Nov. 18. The commission's report noted that the new language, as presented by the applicant, could result in the rezoning of property "even if the adjacent parcel's current zoning does not match."

The P&Z also declared that should the code amendment become law, a parcel anywhere in the county "could be rezoned to historical zoning densities that no longer exist, or ... granted density that has been done away with."

Applicant Steve Jordon owns a 21.83-acre parcel next to Eagle Hill Ranch. Jordon invoked several sections within the LUC, beginning last May, to subdividie his parcel into three lots. He had argued that his parcel could be subdivided since it is surrounded "on all sides by developments of greater density that which is being proposed."

Jordon's representative, Robert Savath, said the only reason his client was pursuing this process was because there is "no other way under the current code to address this application." Savath was reminded by BOCC Chairman Heidi Albritton, however, that future recourse was available for Jordon to split the parcel into two lots as allowed by Section 17 of the code.

Commissioner Keith Meinert said the request was significant in that it would have broadened the ability of future county commissioners to make code changes. Those may have expanded the use of zoning changes to increase density and decrease the lot size.

Doctors office in Ouray

2009-02-20T14:25:00.001-08:00

February 20, 2009

Written By: Samantha Tisdel Wright

Posted By: Erin Eddy

www.ourayland.com
www.ridgwayland.com

After doing without for several years, Ouray is poised to get its own medical center once again. Ouray Family Medicine will open its doors at 824 Main Street in mid-March.

"We've been scratching our heads thinking about it for years," said Dr. David Olson, a family practice physician who with his wife and nurse practitioner Shirley Olson, will be running the clinic. "The time just seemed right."

Once the decision to open a practice had been made, it took the Olsons a little longer to find the right place. Buying their own building was not an option, so when the current location, which used to house the hair salon Shea Studio, became available, "...We were like, 'Yeah, baby... it's perfect,' David laughed.

The location wasn't dialed in until December. Since then, there's been some serious remodeling going on, to transform the once chic salon into a medical clinic with a reception desk and waiting area, three exam rooms, a trauma/x-ray room, office space and more.

An open area up front will double as a waiting room for patients and their families, and an after-hours theater and lecture area, where guest lecturers will be invited to give talks from time to time, the Olsons said.

Shirley, who has been an RN for 15 years, has spent the past few years completing her master's degree to become a family nurse practitioner, training which she anticipates completing in May. She has recently been working at a women's health clinic in Montrose.

"I like primary care more than accute care, because you're working toward enhancing a person's overall health," she said.

David, who received his medical education at Northwestern University in Evanston and Chicago, Illinois, and completed his family practice residency at Saint Joseph Hospital in Denver, has been practicing family medicine since 1980 at the age of 25.

He formerly had small private family practices in Denver and Michigan. This past year, he's worked at a family practice in Montrose.

It's work that he's well-suited to. "Family physicians are in short supply," he noted. "They have the hardest job, they make the least money, they have to know the most."

The Olsons, who moved to Ouray in 2004, intend to flesh out their offerings by bringing in specialists on a rotating basis.

Shirley herself is currently obtaining certification training as a foot care specialist. "And we recently obtained our aesthetic medicine credentials and will likely offer Botox injections and chemical peels initially, and perhaps other aesthetic procedures later," Olson said.

In addition to his time in family practice, David spent a considerable period of time in high-level medical management. "I wanted to have a bigger effect; I wasn't happy with the way medicine was administered," he explained. "I was ready for something new." Now, he has come full circle, back to family medicine.

"We are committed to living in Ouray for the rest of our lives," he said. "And you can't be a medical director in Ouray." But there's certainly a need here for a medical clinic, a need which he and Shirley are now poised to fill. Together, they envision creating a family practice in Ouray that can care for all of the town's citizens, from birth on up.

The Olsons also look forward to creating an ultra-modern "micro" practice, incorporating the latest developments in medical practices that have been made possible by the Internet.

"We will have an interactive web page where patients can log in or fill in their demographics, and make or change an appointment," David explained. Patients, once they are logged in, can also securely e-mail David and Shirley questions and information about their medical backgrounds. All records will be kept electronically.

"The 'micro' model is very hands-on, and can dramatically decrease administrative fees," Shirley explained. "You might often have one of us answering the phone." And yes, the Olsons will do house calls.

"A micro-practice is the perfect model for us," Shirley added. "Our style is to spend more time with each patient. That's the way medicine should be practiced."

Regional 5 star motel opens

2009-02-13T14:35:00.001-08:00

Posted by Erin Eddy

www.ourayland.com
www.ridgwayland.com

Written by: Seth Cagin

Nine years and a reported $200 million later, there is a major new hotel in the Telluride region.

The Capella Telluride was scheduled to open its doors today to fanfare, high hopes, and, it is safe to say, some measure of relief as well. The opening of the Capella could be deemed to be the region’s very own economic stimulus. But as is true of President Obama’s national stimulus plan, there is no way to know in advance how well it will work.

The road from conception to completion of the largest construction project ever undertaken in the Telluride region was not only long and expensive, but fraught with peril, including an arduous approvals process that saw numerous compromises with respect to the structure’s mass, scale and design and more than a few occasions when it looked like it would never break ground.

Today’s grand opening could be taken as evidence that long-range community planning can sometimes yield a result. But it remains to be seen whether the economic impact will be all that has been hoped. That is true particularly since the Capella opens its doors in the midst of a deep and possibly deepening local, national and global economic slump.

The most recent data provided by the Telluride Visitors Bureau are not encouraging. Hotel occupancy in the Telluride region was down 17.5 percent in January compared to last January, with revenue per available room down by an even more impressive 30 percent, due to falling room rates. Advance bookings for the next six months are down by a whopping 32 percent compared to last year at this time, with only one bit of hopeful datum: in January, 18.6 percent more visitors booked their accommodations in the same month they planned to arrive compared to last January.

That last statistic suggests an opportunity for recovery ahead, and one that a sparkling, new, full-service hotel like the Capella might help to realize. Bookings at the Capella for the rest of this ski season are encouraging, the hotel’s general manager John Volponi said this week, and the summer looks strong, particularly around major festivals. As an example, this year’s bigger Gay Ski Week, which starts Feb. 21, has booked rooms and has scheduled a number of events at the Capella.

Among the opportunities the Capella should afford the region is the possibility of booking more groups utilizing the adjacent Telluride Conference Center. With the addition of the Capella, Mountain Village now offers a far larger assortment of rooms suitable for hosting groups, and, of possibly even greater importance, there are now break-out meeting rooms at the Capella for groups that use the conference center as their primary venue.

“The group market is extremely challenging right now for not only destination markets but all conference markets,” Scott McQuade, CEO of the Telluride Visitors Bureau said this week, explaining that corporate travel has been severely cut back due to the economy. “But there is hope on the horizon,” McQuade added. “We are already seeing both large and small groups book for 2010 and the Capella has certainly been of primary interest for many of these group leaders. The Capella has also helped the group effort in giving customers more options, and the destination the ability to accommodate larger groups.”

Once a Muddy Parking Lot

The Telluride Mountain Village Owners Association, then called Mountain Village Metro Services, quietly acquired the bulk of the property now occupied by the Capella in the fall of 2000, precisely with the objective of ensuring it would be developed as a hotel, and that it would incorporate other needed community amenities, and would not be developed as condominiums. Then, as today, there was a concern, expressed at that time by Telluride Ski and Golf Co. CEO Ron Allred and expressed today by current Telski CEO Dave Riley, that creating bedbase is essential to the region’s economic sustainability. But the last remaining sites in Mountain Village and Telluride that were suitable for hotel development were being developed instead as condominiums, which generally have a far lower occupancy rate than hotel rooms do.

Metro Services subsequently entered into an agreement with Robert Levine, who developed the adjacent Inn at Lost Creek, to take on the project. There were then hundreds of hours of public meetings to hammer out details of the project, specifically how big it would be and what it would include.

Twice in 2004, as the project neared final approval, Mountain Village voters rejected arguments that the project was too big, first defeating a measure (with 73 percent opposed) that would have restricted the town council’s ability to award height variances and the second defeating a measure (80 percent opposed) that would have overturned the town council’s final approval of the project. The project also survived a legal challenge from the developer of the neighboring Franz Klammer Lodge.

After all of that, what was long a muddy parking lot at the center of the Mountain Village Center, and was once the location for trailers where lift tickets were sold and skis and boots were rented, is today a complex of two large structures containing 100 hotel rooms, 48 condominiums, two restaurants, a ballroom, a spa, new retail space, an underground parking garage, and an ice rink in a new public plaza.

The Capella Telluride is the first Capella hotel to open in the United States, the American flagship of a new international luxury brand founded by Horst Schulze, the legendary founder of the Ritz-Carlton Hotel chain. Capella hotels will be less formal than Ritz-Carltons, somewhat smaller in size, and will deliver an even more highly personalized level of service, Schulze has decreed.

For example, each Capella guest will have the use of a “personal assistant,” who will first contact them even before they arrive to determine the guests’ interests and to begin making arrangements for their stay. Rather than a grand public lobby, the hotel has a “living room,” whose access is restricted to hotel guests, where the personal assistants maintain their desks. The two restaurants, Onyx, featuring fine dining, and the Suede Bar, with a more casual menu, are open to the public.

New staff was busily training this week, as an army of construction workers scurried about to meet the deadline for today’s opening, with Schulze, who began his career as a waiter in his native Germany, on hand to personally lend a hand. The hotel has a staff of about 100 people, about half of them recruited locally, Volponi said.

“It’s all about service,” Volponi said, and indeed this reporter and a photographer were greeted warmly as we toured the facilities. “‘We, the service professionals of Capella place our guests at the center of everything we do,’” Volponi added, quoting an excerpt from the company’s “service training” that is reviewed with all employees.

“I think that sums up our philosophy. The significant idea that is emphasized over and over again in our training is that we provide ‘warm and caring service.’”

The Capella Telluride is offering an introductory rate of $295 this winter and for much of next summer. In an interview a year ago, admittedly before the scale of the current economic downturn was clear, Schulze expressed confidence that the Capella would be successful within three years, building that success on his philosophy emphasizing guest, employee and owner satisfaction, and commitment to community.

The hope expressed by Schulze then and by Volponi this week is that the Capella will someday be as strongly identified with Telluride as the Little Nell is with Aspen, the Sonnenalp is with Vail, and the Hyatt Regency is with Beaver Creek.

Ouray Real Estate Values

2009-02-06T06:55:00.001-08:00

Written by: David Mullings

Posted by: Erin Eddy

www.ourayland.com
www.ridgwayland.com

We're in a super bad recession, and if the local real estate market isn't in the tank, it's at least within spitting distance. According to recent sales trends, that house on the corner, and yours, isn't worth what it was a couple of years ago. And yet we're told to expect our property tax bills to be much the same for 2009, with some possibly even higher. Yep. Nobody ever said life was fair. There's an explanation for this, of course.

County Assessor Susie Mayfield reported on the property taxing situation in January to the Board of County Commissioners. Her office conducts biennial (in odd-numbered years) re-valuations of real property, which together with mil levies, determine the amount of property tax due. The 2009 valuations, Mayfield said, are based on valuations from all of 2007 and the first half of 2008. Remember those good ol' days, when the fundamentals of the economy were strong? And the "get-anybody-in-a-home, regardless" theme permeated the banking and real estate industries.

Here in Ouray County, property values haven't fallen as much as in many parts of the country. Some sellers, in fact, are holding firm on their asking prices, willing and able to wait out the downturn, which inevitably will reverse. But in the meantime, we're stuck with a taxation situation where the level of taxes lags the reality of market conditions. The silver lining on the horizon comes in two years, when whatever decline we're witnessing locally will be reflected after the Assessor's Office finishes its next re-valuation process in the middle of 2010, taking into account market activity for this year.

Prudently, county commissioners advised Mayfield to explain as best her office can to property owners how the valuation process works. This is especially vital coming on the heels of the confusion and "do-over" that occurred the last time, in 2007. Then, drastically higher commercial valuations raised the ire of many merchants and resulted in a second valuation. Meanwhile, property owners and others roll with the punches of the shattered economy as best they can, hoping to scratch by until we come out of it. Despite the tough times, a "glass half-full" approach to the conditions reveals some bright points.

First, the correction in housing prices could enable some families to afford to get in the market. Second, with corporate layoffs in the big cities and the general state of crisis, lifestyle changes and a retreat to a beautiful little mountain area might be attractive to a whole lot of people across the country. The desirability of Ouray County as a place to visit and live will withstand even these times.

Ouray Real Estate Values

2009-01-29T20:10:00.001-08:00

Written by: Christopher Pike - Ouray County News

Posted by: Erin Eddy - Ouray Realty and Investments

www.ourayland.com
www.ridgwayland.com

January 28, 2009

OURAY — Despite plummeting real estate prices in many parts of the nation, property taxes in Ouray County will likely remain the same, some may see an increase.

So said Ouray County Assessor Susie Mayfield in a recent report to the Board of County Commissioners. "Tax bills will show a slight increase because the values did not change," said Mayfield.

Mayfield told commissioners that property notices will be mailed the first week of May and assessed valuations will reflect values through June 30, 2008.

Mayfield said reasons for no anticipated declines are due to a combination of a more stable mortgage economy in this area, and the time frame when the valuations are conducted. She said Ouray County joins most counties throughout the Western Slope who report that property values are not expected to decrease, partly due to the fact that the Western Slope does not have the same level of foreclosures like the Front Range counties, which has been large in scope and well publicized.

"Mesa County is not seeing a drop in sales prices, and until that is shown, there won't be a reduction in assessed valuation there either," Mayfield said. "All of the Western Slope counties want to put together press releases in the form of an informational campaign notifying those land owners that their real property values will not decrease. We're all seeing the same trends."

Revaluations are made every odd year, and Mayfield, and some declines in value may be reflected through June 30, 2010, when her department finishes its next review process. At that time there could be data as evidence of declining values beginning with the tumultuous period beginning in last year's third quarter, when the nationwide banking credit crash occurred.

Another reason that some valuations will be less in certain communities is because some mil levies have changed. Mayfield explained that the mil levy varies when some communities or government districts are subject to the Taxpayers Bill of Rights (TABOR). Mayfield said under TABOR, a mil levy cannot increase without a vote.

Mayfield said last week that the Assessor's office does not make valuations based upon an individual property, but rather a "mass appraisal as part of our data analysis."

She explained that Log Hill Mesa property values may vary, for example, depending upon whether the lot or the residence is located on the edge of the escarpment or in the interior of the mesa.

Commissioner Keith Meinert jokingly encouraged Mayfield to make a mass mailing, (and) "do anything we can do to explain the voodoo calculations that you all go through and that people should not anticipate seeing a reduction in property values and may even see an increase."

For information go to the Assessor's Office link on the county website (www.ouraycountyco.gov).

Ouray Ice Festival

2009-01-16T08:59:00.000-08:00

ICE FESTIVAL – Spectators crowded the viewing decks during Saturday’s ice climbing competition in Ouray.

Mouse’s Chocolates was packed Saturday afternoon during the Ouray Ice Festival. The Variety Store was deserted.

Just how much the annual Ouray Ice Festival helps the town’s winter economy depends on who you talk to, but it’s good overall, said Jennifer Loshaw, director of the Ouray County Resort Association.

“It seemed like the climbers spent a lot more time in town and being part of the community,” she said. “I think it was great. A lot of people came out here with the intention of it being their vacation.”

Loshaw volunteered at the Ouray Ice Park Saturday and said the festival seems to be attracting a wider range of people, from senior citizens to young couples with babies.

The Ice Festival has been a big boost to Ouray’s winter economy, which Loshaw said extends past the festival.

“A lot of people had a lot of questions for me and it seem like a lot of the Chicks with Picks folks are staying all month,” she said.

Even though the festival doesn’t bring the throngs of tourists who come during the summer months, Bob Wilson of Ouray V&S Variety Store said having extra people in town always helps.

“We get some of it, but if you knew the sport, their equipment is so expensive,” he said. “An ice pick can cost from $200 to $600 or $700 so they don’t have a lot to just go out and blow.”

Most sales go to hotels, restaurants and service stations, he said, “but they help us, too.”

Ouray Liquors had a very good weekend during the festival, said Matt Genuit, which was “as good if not better than last year.”

Mayor Bob Risch said he was pleasantly surprised by the turnout.

“We thought it might be down this year, but it turned out to be better than expected, from readings from some of the meals at the Community Center,” he said.

Motels in town were packed, said Maria Ziemba of Best Western Twin Peaks motel.

“We had a couple of cancellations, but somebody else would scoop them up,” she said. “The town was packed and it seems like everybody had a nice time and that’s what it’s all about.”

At the Ouray Victorian Inn, new owner Brian Lisk said he couldn’t draw comparisons to last year, but his hotel was full during the festival.

Business was brisk all weekend at Ouray Mountain Sports, which sells ice climbing equipment, outdoor clothing and supplies, but as an employee said, “We’re in the ice climbing business.”

The Ice Festival also figures in planning for the future, said Joyce Linn, chair of the Community Development Committee, the economic arm of the city council.

Linn said she would like to see the festival last longer, or see a winter carnival begun that would add even more appeal during the winter months.

The true measure of the festival is its long-term impacts, said festival director Erin Eddy.

“I think the biggest thing is the indirect impact of all the media has written about Ouray,” Eddy said. “It brings attention to a little town with an advertising budget of only about $85,000 a year. The more people talk about us, the better the little businesses will do, and that allows a lot of us to continue to live in Ouray.”

Attendance was down slightly from last year, he said, but fundraising during the festival was consistent with past years.

“The money we raised is where it’s always been and that’s really positive,” he said.

Written by: Gus Jarvis - Ouray County Watch

Posted by: Erin Eddy - www.ourayland.com and www.ridgwayland.com

Ouray Real Estate Values

2009-01-16T08:50:00.001-08:00

Despite Economy, Property Values Not Expected to Decline

OURAY – With the housing market in shambles, property owners in Ouray County might have hopes that their property value will drop after this year’s state mandated valuation and thus lowering their 2010 property taxes. Ouray County Assessor Susie Mayfield said on Monday that probably won’t be the case.

“A majority of Western Slope counties are expecting them [property values] to stay the same or go up” Mayfield told the Ouray County Commissioners at their meeting on Monday. “The Western Slope has not had major foreclosures like the Eastern Slope counties have had. Because of oil and gas, Mesa County is not seeing a drop is sales prices and neither are any resort communities.”

Mayfield told the commissioners in her report that officials from Western Slope counties are getting together and planning an informational campaign to notify property owners that they shouldn’t expect property values to decrease. Every odd year, county assessors across the state must perform a state mandated revaluation of every property within the county. The revaluation is based on an analysis of market sales during the timeframe of Jan. 1, 2007 through June 30, 2008.

Once the revaluations are complete, a Notice of Valuation indicating the change in actual value of a property will be mailed to its owner the first week of May 2009. This new value will be used in the calculation of property taxes owed in January 2010.

“Just because they are just sitting out there on the market, it doesn’t mean their values are going to drop,” she said. “We expect to get some phone calls.”

Mayfield said she is exploring various possibilities for informing taxpayers about this year’s revaluation and what to expect. Commissioner Keith Meinert said it might be worth mailing information to owners in Ouray County to make sure the process is clear.

“If you thought it would be helpful to do a mass mailing, I think it would be worth the expense to get the message out there properly,” Meinert said. “Anything we can do to explain the voodoo calculations that you all go through and that people should not anticipate seeing a reduction in property values and may even see an increase.”

Tax payers in Ouray County can expect the 2008 abstract of assessment and levies in their mailbox in the next few weeks.

Written by: Gus Jarvis of the Ouray County Watch

Posted by: Erin Eddy

www.ourayland.com
www.ridgwayland.com

Cornerstone Colorado

2008-12-27T11:58:00.001-08:00

Posted by:

Erin Eddy

www.ourayland.com
www.ridgwayland.com

Cornerstone Named Best Private Course by Golf Magazine

Greg Norman Course to Host Senior Tournament

MONTROSE – The unparalleled beauty of Cornerstone’s setting atop the Uncompahgre Plateau is enough to set it apart from other mountain developments. But add to that a Greg Norman-designed golf course and be prepared for national recognition.

The January 2009 issue of Golf Magazine, currently on newsstands, has named Cornerstone the #1 Best New Private Golf Course in the country.

The 7,945-yard, par 72 course was touted by the editors at Golf Magazine as “easily the best high-altitude course in the nation, and quite possibly the world.” They called it Norman’s “finest North American project to date.” This prestigious recognition, which bested Donald Trump’s National Bedminster in New Jersey (#2), comes six months after all 18 holes were opened in July.

“This is something we are certainly proud of,” Head Golf Pro and Golf Manager Sean Tannehill said in an interview last week. “This is a golf course that is designed for everybody. My favorite thing about the course is the possibility of playing a multitude of different approaches, which enables a lot of bump and runs and a lot of great shots.”

The editors at Golf Magazine also made note of the way the course uses the natural landscape: “Purists will appreciate the tough forced carries and greens that often demand run-up approach shots, and the fast greens and shaved surrounds even things up for players of all abilities.”

The course was designed according to Norman’s well-known “least disturbance” philosophy, which curtails massive earth movement, reduces large-scale clearing and takes full advantage of the natural features on the landscape. The course covers more than 300 acres and is designed to provide golfers at all skill levels an enjoyable game.

“When Greg Norman first toured the land on snowmobile, he immediately saw the potential for the golf course and we partnered with him knowing that we had selected the best designer in the business,” said Larry Corsen, senior vice president of Hunt Realty Inc., a privately held real estate investment company, and owner and operator of Cornerstone. “We are thrilled to see our dream of Greg’s talent come to fruition and be recognized as the number one private golf course by Golf Magazine. We are truly honored to be at the top of this revered category of golf course in the United States.”

As if the #1 ranking wasn’t enough, Tannehill said that Cornerstone will be hosting the Colorado Senior Amateur Championship the first week in September.

“For us, it is a great way to get senior competitive players to play our course and to this part of Colorado,” said Tannehill. “All of these championships have always been held out on the Front Range [of Colorado] and it is a great opporunity for us.”

Members of Cornerstone have access to a 20-plus acre practice facility and some of the finest golf professionals and staff in the nation. Mark Wood has consistently been ranked one of the top 50 instructors in the country for the past 10 years, and Kathy Hart-Wood, former LPGA touring pro and also a celebrated top 50 instructor as named by Golf for Women, is director of women’s golf. Cornerstone also recently celebrated the opening of its clubhouse, which includes a casual bar and grill, outdoor dining and the Village Mercantile, featuring a golf pro shop and outfitters’ headquarters.

Written by Gus Jarvis

35 Acres is Best?

2008-12-27T11:32:00.001-08:00

Posted by:

Erin Eddy

www.ourayland.com
www.ridgwayland.com

December 26, 2008

Oh, the curse of the 35-acre parcel. The old ranchers' saying goes, "to small to farm, too big to mow."

Yet 35 is the magic number in Ouray County's unique and innovative Land Use Code (LUC). In both Valley and Alpine zones, where the LUC discourages development, that is the number of acres where private property owners have the right to construct a home.

The LUC is the companion document to the county's Master Plan. There, in Section A, the county's collective goal is "to encourage the continued use of lands for agricultural productivity." To date, much of that goal has been met; Ouray County's valued valleys have mostly remained with haying and cattle activities, though a few homes have sprung up at the 35 acre density.

Outgoing County Commissioner Don Batchelder warns that just because the Master Plan aspiration is being met today, that doesn't mean it won't be tomorrow.

"… there are a number of factors, economic and personal, facing a number of the smaller ranches in the county's valleys that indicate agricultural lands are at risk," writes Batchelder, in a two-page proposal titled "Incentivizing Cluster Development in the Valley Zone Through the Developer Agreement Process."

At first blush, the proposal seems to have great potential to be a win-win proposition — preventing the break-up of parcels into the undesirable 35s, and giving landowners a means to preserve the considerable value of their land. The proposal deserves a thorough hearing, and if favored by those it affects, implementation.

As Batchelder points out, ranchers are typically a tough sell when it comes to government regulation. As such, to gain buy-in, the new code would have to be fairly straight forward. He proposes:

n The density per housing unit in the Valley Zone be doubled, to 70 acres.

n Ranch owners could cluster houses under a development agreement, as long as 80% of the land remains dedicated to agriculture, and that water rights remain tied to the property.

In all, five amendments to the LUC are proposed, but Batchelder's solution to the 35-acre dilemma remains simple, and seemingly viable.

Written by: David Mullings

Protecting Ouray's Future

2008-12-20T13:28:00.001-08:00

Posted by Erin Eddy

www.ourayland.com
www.ridgwayland.com

Written by:

Christopher Pike

December 19, 2008

OURAY — Before he leaves office next month, Don Batchelder wants to address an issue he believes is important for the future of ranching in Ouray County.

The issue: Incentives for the preservation of ranch lands and, in tandem, keeping water rights with those lands in the county.

"The county hasn't done anything in preserving those facets of the Master Plan," said Batchelder at Monday's Board of County Commissioners meeting. "There is potential for losing some of the ranch lands in the valleys, with only the potential for breaking those tracts into 35s."

Batchelder believes that the Ouray County Master Plan's goal of "encouraging the continued use of lands for agricultural productivity" will not be met without larger tracts being protected from non-ag uses, including housing development.

"The tendency in land use issues is to assume that what exists is how things will remain. However, there are a number of factors, economic and personal, facing a number of smaller ranches in the county's valleys that indicate agricultural lands are at risk," said Batchelder in a two-page white paper titled, "Incentivizing Cluster Development in the Valley Zone through the Development Agreement Process."

The current code, Batchelder points out, "does nothing" to prevent the subdivision of agricultural land into 35-acre parcels and by state law there is no governmental review of these property divisions. And, he adds, the county's Land Use Code does nothing to keep water rights in the county.

With land prices being as high as they are, 35-acre parcels have become the target for non-agricultural development, be it straight-ahead commercial, recreational or industrial, Batchelder said. "Ranchers have a saying about 35-acre lots: 'too small to farm and too big for a lawn'."

The catch is finding an incentive for property owners to preserve productive ag land without diminishing the land's value and to keeping land from being separated from water rights, which ultimately results in land being more conducive for subdivision development — not agriculture.

Regulation alone will not suffice, noted Batchelder.

"Ranchers are typically no-nonsense, self-employed business people with distaste for government regulation. The proposal needs to be understandable, simple, straightforward, and not burdened by unnecessary bureaucratic process."

Batchelder's proposal will be discussed informally at the BOCC's Dec. 22 meeting. One key component is to set maximum densities "except for property divided in accordance with a development agreement." The landowner would have to reciprocate, however, by restricting use of the parcel to agriculture uses, keeping the water rights on the land, and locating any home or homes in a clustered fashion.

Ouray Real Estate Foreclosures

2008-12-14T05:42:00.001-08:00

Posted by: Erin Eddy

www.ourayland.com
www.ridgwayland.com

December 05, 2008
Written By - Christopher Pike

Real estate foreclosures are up and tax lien sales have increased substantially this year in Ouray County and surrounding counties.

Reports from three county treasurers indicate a slump in the region's real estate economy.

"We have eight current foreclosures right now, getting two or three over the past few weeks," Ouray County Treasurer Jeanne Casolari reported two weeks ago to the Board of County Commissioners.

Casolari said Monday Ouray County has received nine foreclosures as of Dec. 1; there were seven total foreclosures for all of 2007.

Casolari said there were 88 parcels subject to the 2008 tax lien sale conducted by the treasurer's office in early November, which recovered $185,084 in unpaid tax revenues. Premiums over the amount of taxes owed amounted to $3,890.

Those figures are up by more than $100,000 from 2007 when lien sales totaled $84,079 involving 60 parcels; that amount included $5,410 in premium bids.

Montrose County Treasurer Rosemary Murphy also said as of Dec. 1 there have been 146 foreclosures, 60 more compared to this time in 2007.

Murphy said most of the foreclosures in Montrose County involved improved properties and were situated within the city limits.

At the county's tax lien sales, Murphy said buyers bought liens of 340 properties, about 100 more than last year. Vacant lots and various subdivisions constituted the bulk of those properties, she said.

In San Miguel County there have been 34 foreclosures "so far through 2008," according to Maureen Dorka, chief deputy treasurer, which is 19 more than this time last year. That county's tax lien sale on Nov. 24 yielded $462,677.59 involving 103 properties.

That sales figure includes interest of $28,286.32, recovered advertising fees and premium bids over the amount in arrears. "That compares with 98 properties that were sold last year," said Dorka.