Loading...
HomeMy Public PortalAbout2 Bi-Weekly Update 11 August 2017Town Happenings The Town of Fraser is excited to bring you “Picnic in the Park” fea- turing live music every Tuesday evening starting July 11th from 6-8PM. Come on out, bring some food, and hang out with good people! A u g 11 , 2 0 1 7 Bi-W e e k l y U p d a t e Highlights • Picnic in the Park • Business Grant Increase • New Co-Working Space Available • Planning Commission • Public Works • Historic Church Gets Painted and Barn Quilts • Junk the Junipers Upcoming Events August 11-13 Winter Park Craft Fair August 12 High Country Stam- pede Rodeo (Last one!) August 12 Winter Park Solshine Music Festival August 13 Trestle Race 6 Chainless Downhill August 19 Winter Park Uncorked Wine Festival August 20 P a g e 2 Bi-W e e k l y U p d a t e Picnic in the Park August 1st’s Picnic in the Park gave way to some beautiful weather with some great entertainment from Bill McKay and Channing Lynn who filled the air with some funky tunes and comedic dialogue. Picnic goers enjoyed some free henna painting provided by the Public Arts Committee and the kids savored some delicious popsicles on the sunny outing. August 8th’s outing was a bit gloomy, but the show must go on! Red Dirt Hill played to the storm and the Fraser music fans still displayed their indifference for some rain and nevertheless, had a good time while the kids enjoyed painting super hero barn quilts provided by the Public Arts Committee. P a g e 3 Bi-W e e k l y U p d a t e Town Board Approves Business Grant Increase The Fraser Town Board recently approved additional funding for the Business Enhancement Grant Program. The Business Enhancement Grant Program is designed to provide funding assistance for local businesses towards exterior enhancements to their business property, while encouraging in- vestment and pride in the Fraser community. Administrative approval of grant applications is provid- ed by staff for applications that meet the following criteria: • Maximum grant award (Town’s contribution) of $7,500. • A minimum of 50% of project costs must be provided by the applicant. • Projects eligible for administrative approval include: publicly displayed art, landscaping, exterior decorations, building façade improvements/renovations, painting, signage, awnings and design costs. This is an excellent incentive for Fraser business owners to complete those exterior improvements they’ve been thinking about, while receiving assistance from the Town to do so. Any Business En- hancement Grant Applications that do not meet the above criteria may still be considered on a case by case basis. Please contact Allie Heon for further information or to submit an application for funding for your busi- ness at aheon@town.fraser.co.us (970) 726-5491 ext. 218. New Fraser Co-Working Space Available Rick Holden of Holden’s Computers has opened a new Fraser co-working site next to his computer repair and electronics store in the Fraser Valley Shopping Center in Fraser. “This will be a perfect spot for the person who needs a space to work for a few hours a day, is starting a business and can’t afford a full-on office with utilities, has a poor internet connection at home, or who just needs a space to work away from home and be around like-minded people,” Holden says. The newly remodeled space has 7 floating desks available, with each desk location offering excel- lent internet, printing to a top-quality color laser jet printer and an atmosphere of like-minded profes- sionals. Fraser Workspace will also offer additional amenities like coffee, water, a refrigerator, and a microwave. “This will be a business hub that won’t be a full-on incubator, because we won’t be offer- ing reception or phone-answering services,” Holden says. “In these days of cell phones and remote access, reception services aren’t in high demand.” Holden, who has operated his computer services business for eleven years in the Fraser Valley, says he can see that there are many types of people here who would need this sort of a shared business space. Fraser Valley residents who work remotely or innovators launching their own busi- nesses could benefit greatly from the Fraser workspace. One of the many vacationing business trav- elers will have a demand for a space like what Holden is offering. “The space will also offer an op- portunity for business people to meet with clients in a more professional setting,” Holden says. “There are so many people who are remote workers,” Holden says. “And a person can spend only so much time isolated in a condo or a house looking at the same four walls. This offers an opportuni- ty to gain a sense of community while having top-notch services available.” (CONTINUED ) (Continued from Page 3) Holden plans to offer the space on an hourly, weekly or monthly rental plan. He will also offer the op- portunity for rental time at shorter intervals for people who need excellent internet service and/or im- peccable printing. For more information or for details about first-time visitor specials, call Rick at 970-424-1588. P a g e 4 Bi-W e e k l y U p d a t e Planning Community Resiliency Fraser received design resiliency technical assistance. On June 27, 2017, we hosted a Design & Resiliency Team (DART) preliminary site visit with the project team leaders. On September 11-13, 2017, a multidisciplinary team of public and private sector experts from fields relevant to the commu- nity’s needs (e.g., sustainability, climate change, planning, architecture, landscape architecture, en- gineering, economic development, finance, the arts) will come to Fraser and help us develop a stra- tegic vision and promote community resiliency. The Colorado Resiliency Working Group defines resiliency as follows: “The ability of communities to rebound, positively adapt to, or thrive amidst changing conditions or challenges – including disasters and climate change – and maintain quality of life, healthy growth, durable systems, and conservation of resources for present and future generations.” Colorado Municipal League’s Knowledge Now, states that “the challenge for Colorado’s local gov- ernments is to plan for appropriate development to occur while also protecting people, property, and the environment from the impacts of hazards.” So, mark your calendars for September 11-13, 2017! We welcome and need community engage- ment as this resiliency process continues. Town of Fraser Planning Commission Vacancy The Town of Fraser is seeking one individual interested in serving on the Planning Commission. The Planning Commission is comprised of seven members of the community and all members must be residents of Fraser. The Planning Commission may prepare plans and regulations for adoption by the Board of Trustees. The Planning Commission shall act in an advisory capacity to the Board of Trustees. The Fraser Planning Commission meets on the fourth Wednesday of each month at the Fraser Town Hall at 6:30 PM. For more information or if you are interested in serving as a Planning Commissioner, submit a letter of interest to Catherine Trotter, Town Planner, P.O. Box 370, Fraser, CO. 80442 or ctrotter@town.fraser.co.us (970-726-5491 ext. 209) GET INVOLVED! CONNECT WITH THE FRASER COMMUNITY & HAVE FUN! P a g e 5 Bi-W e e k l y U p d a t e Public Works Water Eisenhower at Union Pacific Waterline Project Update: Pipeline work is complete on both sides of the tracks and are tied-in to the system and providing wa- ter service to users. Eisenhower Drive was reopened on Wednesday morning (August 8th). Railroad Ave. and Leonard Lane remain closed as the contractor continues to install replacement concrete drain pans and asphalt road surfacing. On July 31st, Xcel gas crews took the opportunity to replace a section of the gas distribution piping in Leonard Lane while we had the street torn up. Unfortunately, a CenturyLink (CL) phone line was inadvertently cut. CL was not able to make the repair on Monday, August 7th, causing a 3 to 4 day delay for our contractor to prep the roadway for final asphalt surfacing. This replacement gas line was a matter of public safety according to Xcel as the piping dates back to 1968. As noted in the last update, the west Byers Avenue improvements portion of this project will not be completed this year. We will reevaluate the cost-benefit of an expanded scope of work to include the replacement of the entire waterline in Byers Avenue from Leonard to Norgren in 2018. Although we have encountered many unexpected and unanticipated challenges throughout this project, we be- lieve we have accomplished a significant portion of our ultimate goal of providing for better water quality and delivery, more sound redundancy, and system isolation through a looped system. As you can see by the condition of the water system infrastructure we’ve removed, this was a very timely project. P a g e 6 Bi-W e e k l y U p d a t e Sanitary Sewer Three sewer manholes and one separated sewer main were repaired last week which will help with inflow and infiltration mitigation. Sewer main jetting and video maintenance as well as inspections are complete for this year. A couple of problem areas were identified and we will be working on solu- tions to address these problems. Utilities staff continues with fire hydrant maintenance and mainline flushing as well as sewer collection line and manhole inspections. Streets Mountain Parks Electric continues replace old high -pressure sodium fixtures with new LED street security lighting. LED conversion lighting fixtures for the Amtrak platform are ordered. Installation of new fixtures and replace- ment of the outdated electrical service panel are underway. LED lighting up- grades at the Town Hall were completed last week as we continue our car- bon footprint reduction efforts. Safeway frontage road repairs are ongoing and weather has been unfavora- ble for our progress. We appreciate everyone’s patience with the road clo- sure. Speed radar signs for the school zone along US40 in the downtown area have been ordered. Once a special use permit has been issued by CDOT, we will install the signs in advance of school start- ing. Gardens Gardeners have been busy maintaining the planters and flower beds throughout town, and as usual, they look wonderful! P a g e 7 Bi-W e e k l y U p d a t e “Junk the Junipers” (Free Yard Waste Disposal) The Grand County Wildfire Council will host one ultimate Community Chipping Day on Saturday, August 26th behind the Granby Fire Department. Thanks to the Grand Foundation’s $2,000 grant award to the GCWC, we are able to offer one supplementary day with a unique “JUNK THE JUNI- PERS” twist! Bring us your yard debris, slash and most importantly, any COMMON JUNIPER shrubs! These plants contain resins that are highly flamma- ble and do not belong near your home. Firefighters nickname them “gasoline plants”! The first 20 attendees to “Junk the Junipers” who bring at least one load of slash to our FREE chip- ping site (located behind Grand Fire headquarters station), will receive a $100 voucher to use at participating local landscaping/garden stores to purchase more fire resistant “Firewise” plants or noncombustible landscaping materials. It is a win -win deal for all of us! You get to replace hazardous vegetation with new plants, flowers or rocks, and everyone benefits from the decreased risk of wild- fire in your neighborhood! Vouchers are limited and will be available on a first-come, first-serve ba- sis. Chipping starts at 8am and ends at 5pm. We encourage all homeowner associations, communities and individuals to get motivated to tackle tree trimming, juniper (or other flammable plant) removal and yard maintenance projects SOON to take advantage of this incredible incentive program and free chipping service. For more information and slash material guidelines, visit our website: www.bewildfireready.org or call 970-887-3380. This is a FREE service to all home and property owners in Grand County. It’s not a question of if, but when, the next wildfire will occur. With advance planning and preparation, we can dramatically in- crease our safety and the survivability of our property. We need to focus our efforts on hazardous fuels reduction, mitigation and preventative actions BEFORE a wildland fire event by creating and maintaining defensible space. Visit firewise.org for more resources and information! PASS IT ON!!!! Historic Church Gets A Fresh Coat The historic church just got a fresh paint job and is looking great! If you haven’t had a chance to check it out, give it a drive by for an eyeful. You would have never thought it was 106 years old! You may also notice a couple of new barn quilts on the front and side of the church as well as on the Fraser Town Hall building. This is the work of the Grand Quilters in as- sociation with the Grand County Historical Association honoring the tradition of the women who helped settle the county. Did You Know… Fraser’s open for business! The Fraser Town Board has recently approved new economic development and housing policies to give new and existing businesses and land developers great incentives to keep Fraser’s economy booming! There’s never been a better time to bring your business to the Fraser Valley and become part of our fantastic community! To get the ball rolling, go to FraserColorado.com, “I Want To”, “Start a New Business”. You can find information on how to obtain your business license, acquire a development and sign permit, find out about sales and use tax, and helpful resources for advertising and funding. P a g e 8 Bi-W e e k l y U p d a t e Town of Fraser PO Box 370, Fraser, CO 80442 Please feel free to contact us with any questions Town Hall 970-726-5491 A full list of contacts can be found at: www.frasercolorado.com Enjoy summer in the valley!