TOWN OF GRAND LAKE NEWSLETTER

Transcription

1 TOWN OF GRAND LAKE NEWSLETTER The Soul of the Rockies Town Talk From the Town Manager June 2016 Mayor: Jim Peterson Mayor Pro Tem: Kathy Lewis Trustees: Jim Gasner, Tom Goodfellow, Lisa Jenkins, Steve Kudron, Lance Sabo Town Manager: Jim White Tel: FAX: Website: NOTE: Check the website for Public Hearings and News Updates. Inside this issue: GL Center Open Houses 2 Thank You 2 Chili Cook Off 3 Tops of the Rockies 3 Noxious Weeds 4 Free Herbicide 4 Kayak Slips 4 5K Race 5 EV Charging Station 6 E. Inlet Boat Launch 6 Ride the Rockies 7 Welcome summer! The Headwaters Marina, operated by the Town of Grand Lake, opened on Friday, May 20th! Visitors and locals are reporting it s great to be back on the water. With the opening of Trail Ridge Road on Saturday, May 28th, we immediately saw an uptick in traffic and visitors here in Grand Lake. The new Mayor and I lost out on the opportunity to cut the ribbon to commemorate Across the Divide the previous day due to a snowstorm on Trail Ridge Road. It opened without the usual ceremony the following day. As the spring turns to summer, the Town has much to work on this year. Beginning in May and finishing in early June, we began work on the East Inlet boat docks. The Town of Grand Lake is moving ahead with improvements to the boat launch at East Inlet focusing on safety, preparing for summer, doing the best we can with limited resources. We are taking discrete, tangible steps under a Corps of Engineers Permit. We started May 25, 2016 by removing the south dock, which was badly damaged this last winter including a broken connection to the shore anchor. The beach area is now safer. The old dock was a hazard. With the help of Grand Environmental in tandem with Town staff, we cleaned up the lake bed including old anchors, rebar, and cinder blocks, Subsequently, more beach area is now available for boats to touch and go, and it could also be used for emergency landings. The Town Trustees are now discussing how best to replace docks, aiming for this Fall. Our preference would be to work with local contractors; however, other options are also being considered. The project is supported by Colorado Parks and Wildlife through a Fishing is Fun grant; additional funding for technical assistance was also provided by a Northwest Colorado Council of Governments (NWCCOG) Technical Assistance grant; and by a generous contribution from Grand County in the amount of $5000 for survey support. Upon completion of the dock repairs, this will be part of a larger effort to improve the nine (9) acre park area. We will be seeking a Great Outdoors Colorado (GOCO) grant for additional funding in Next week we host the Ride the Rockies event for the first time in its 31 year history. More than 2000 riders and their entourage will begin arriving mid morning on Wednesday, June 15th and will settle in at the Headquarters at the Grand Lake Center. They stay overnight and depart for Estes Park over Trail Ridge Road on Thursday morning, June 16th. I cannot tell you how grateful we are for all the organizations and individuals in this community that have stepped up to help plan and prepare for this event. Food, beer & music will be at the Lake Front Park on the evening of June 15th. Friday, June 17th is the Opening Night of the first theater production of Little Mermaid. Other productions this year will include Rock of Ages; Titanic and the Million Dollar Quartet in the fall. What an amazing cultural element the theater brings to our town. I hope you have made plans to attend this year. We will also begin formal planning for the Fourth of July celebration on Friday, June 17th, gathering individuals and agencies that will help as we prepare. One last announcement. It is bittersweet that the ever friendly and knowledgeable Marti Lund has decide to retire after nearly 17 years in the front office at Town Hall. Her last official day will be Wednesday, June 15th. She, of course, is very excited. The rest of us, not so much. Nonetheless, we wish her well and we have planned a celebration of her retirement, in her honor, on Tuesday, June 28th from 4:30pm to 6pm in the Community House. Please mark your calendars and help us celebrate with her and to offer our thanks for all she has done over her years here in Grand Lake! Finally, remember the Chamber Golf outing this Saturday, June 11th at the Grand Lake Golf Course and the Arts & Crafts Fair in the Town Square Park, June 11-12th. Well, that s all for now. I hope to see you around town! Jim White

2 TOWN OF GRAND LAKE NEWSLETTER Page 2 Grand Lake Center Open Houses June 21, 23, 25 The Public is invited to a series of Grand Lake Center Open House events. CALENDAR OF EVENTS June 18 Rubber Duck Race Heckert Pavilion June 25 Chili Cook Off Town Square Park June 25 Art & Architecture Tour June 29 Higher Love Today Benefit for Mullinex Water Rescue Fund CH July 2 5K Angel Flight Run/Walk July 2 First Saturdays Music in the Park July 4 Fireworks! July 4 Pancake Breakfast July 8-10 Arts & Crafts Fair July 9 Tops of the Rockies GL Yacht Club July Annual Used Book Sale July 16 Pancake Breakfast July Quilt Show CH July 17 Buffalo BBQ & Race & Parade July 30 Views & Vistas Tour The Grand Lake Center will host several Public Open Houses during June They are on Tuesday, June 21 (8-11am), Thursday, June 23 (8-11am), and Saturday, June 25 (8-11 am) The community and guests are invited to visit the Grand Lake Center s Social Spot, a lounge where they can have refreshments, gather with friends, read magazines and books, use Wi-Fi, play board games, and work on puzzles. You can tour the facility and see where the fitness room, business center, teen game room, open gym, and eight meeting rooms are located throughout the building. Volunteers will be on-site to answer questions and pre-sell available memberships. The Town of Grand Lake plans to open the Grand Lake Center daily beginning early July Currently, several areas of the Grand Lake Center are being rented for various activities. The gym is currently used by the Grand Lake Recreation District weekly during the colder months. Our meeting rooms have been used for several events this year, like the Grand County Sheriff Department training activities; the Disney Way events hosted by The Town of Grand Lake, Grand County Economic Development Department and Grand Lake Rotary Club; in addition the Town of Grand Lake and Grand Lake Chamber hosted The Denver Post Community Foundation s annual fund-raising event - Ride the Rockies that was headquartered at the Center June 15-16, The Grand Lake Center is available now for rent including the gym for physical and sports activities like basketball, volleyball, pickleball, indoor walking and kids games. The gym can also be converted for large events such as conferences, fundraisers, reunions, weddings, receptions and concerts. Our outdoor field and playground can be used for trade shows, outdoor activities, family reunions, and picnics. The smaller meeting rooms are great for a variety of training, lectures, crafts, arts, pre-school lessons and other continuing learning events for all ages. Contact the Town of Grand Lake for more information, pricing, and to reserve your event at The Grand Lake Center is located at 301 Marina Dr. in Grand Lake, CO and is the former Elementary School building and surrounding grounds including the play-ground and ballpark. Thank You to All Clean Up Day Volunteers The Town of Grand Lake wishes to express our thanks to all the volunteers for the terrific job done for Grand Lake Clean Up Day. Over 30 volunteers showed their community spirit by picking up debris on Town streets and parks. Their help was invaluable in beautifying Grand Lake and their generosity is greatly appreciated. Thanks also to the Grand Lake Lodge for putting on the post clean up barbecue everything was delicious! Thanks so much for a job well done! Job Opening The Town has an opening for a part-time temporary position as Coordinator at the Grand Lake Center. The job description and application are available at

3 TOWN OF GRAND LAKE NEWSLETTER Page 3 Chili Cook Off June 25 Town Square Park Fireworks on July 4th Tops of the Rockies: 2016 The Friends of the Grand County Library cordially invite you to join us at the Grand Lake Yacht Club for our annual fundraiser benefitting the children s programs at all or our Grand County libraries. Saturday, July 9 5:30 to 8:00pm To purchase tickets, visit our website at Please make check out to: Friends of the Grand County Library Inc. Advance tickets $60 per person, $65 per person at the door. Wine tasting, hors d oeuvres, table top auction, silent auction and live music. Please join us for an evening at the historic Grand Lake Yacht Club. Sample world class wines in your commemorative 2016 wine glass, accompanied with hors d oeuvres, music and silent and live auctions. Hope you will join us for an evening to remember.

4 TOWN OF GRAND LAKE NEWSLETTER Page 4 Grand Lake Area Weeds to Watch For 1. Oxeye Daisy 2. Scentless Chamomile 3. Yellow Toadflax 4. Canada Thistle What is a noxious weed? A "noxious weed" is a legally defined term that refers to a specific plant that is non-native and is aggressively invasive and detrimental to native plant communities. What noxious weeds are here? Scentless Chamomile, Oxeye Daisy, Canada Thistle, and Yellow Toadflax But they're so "pretty!" Why should I want to get rid of them? Noxious weeds are taking over where native plants should be and spread very rapidly by seed and spreading roots. Our wildlife (moose, deer, elk) will not eat Scentless Chamomile as it causes blistering of the animal's muzzle and irritation of their mucous membranes. OK, I want to get rid of them, but HOW? The best way to get rid of noxious weeds is to pull and bag them and dispose of the bag properly before the plant goes to flower, mainly in the "rosette" stage. This prevents the spreading of the seeds. Once the noxious weeds have been removed, you can plant native grass or wildflower seeds. Free Herbicide Grand County Natural Resources Herbicide Giveaway: begins Friday June through September (except for Labor Day weekend) from 9-noon for small property owners. Must bring dedicated sprayer up to 4 gallons in size. Giveaway is at the shop on the corner of 4 th and Topaz in Granby. Call with questions. Scentless Chamomile a Noxious Weed Now is the perfect time to get rid of the scentless chamomile weeds, depicted in the photo above. These non-native weeds are prolific throughout the Grand Lake area. They pull up easily and can be bagged and put in trash bags for disposal. These weeds are an ecological and agricultural disaster for Colorado. Scentless Chamomile can produce up to 960,000 seeds per plant! The seeds germinate quickly, allowing a single plant to give rise to more than one generation within a growing season. Help rid the Grand Lake area of this invasive, noxious weed! Canoe/Kayak Slip Rental The Town has kayak racks available for seasonal slip rentals through its Headwater s Marina Enterprise. Each slip can hold up to two kayaks or typically one canoe, and are located on the southwest side of the beach area where the volleyball court is located, in front of the Western Riviera Motel, just a few feet from the kayak boat launch. Each space is available now through September 30th. The season rental cost per slip is $150. Please contact Town Hall at with any questions.

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6 TOWN OF GRAND LAKE NEWSLETTER Page 6 EV CHARGING STATION NOW IN GRAND LAKE The Town of Grand Lake has installed an electric vehicle (EV) charging station at the Lake Avenue Parking Lot. It is a dual port system so two vehicles can charge at the same time. We have been added to the plugshare.com website which maps EV plug in sites. Our EV charging station installation started on Friday May 27, 2016 with Verdek, the vendor the Town Board had selected to do the job. The electrician ran all the necessary wiring and Public Works set the concrete pad. It was ready for use last weekend. The Town received a grant from the Colorado Energy Office and a stipend from Mountain Parks Electric to help with the cost of installation. The station cost just over $12,000. The grant from the Colorado Energy Office was in the amount of $6260 and the stipend from Mountain Parks Electric was for $3000. The photos included are of the first persons to use the Grand Lake EV charging station. They are Bruce and Linda Robinson from Loveland CO. Mr. Robinson added us to plugshre.com on Sunday June 5, 2016 after returning home to Loveland from Grand Lake. They charged up their Tesla X as shown in the photo. Support Ride the Rockies! Ride the Rockies bicyclists will stop overnight in Grand Lake on Wednesday, June 15, 2016 before heading over Trail Ridge Road the next morning. Cheer on the 2,000 cyclists as they head into town from 11a.m. to? Many will stay at the Grand Lake Center, local hotels and campgrounds. Be aware of increased bicycle and vehicle traffic. Lunch, dinner and breakfast for them will be available at a reasonable price. Many will frequent local establishments. Entertainment and food will be at the Lake Front Park June 15 th Breakfast for the cyclists at the Grand Lake Center will be very early on June 16 th before the trek over Trail Ridge Road. Volunteers are welcome, contact the Grand Lake Chamber of Commerce for more information at E. Inlet Boat Launch The Town is moving forward with improvements to the boat launch at the E. Inlet. The Town was awarded grant funds through the Colorado Parks and Wildlife Fishing is Fun Grant Program to perform repairs and maintenance to the facility. The immediate removal of the south dock was necessary due to winter damage. The boat launch remains open to the public while the Town anticipates permanent replacement of the docks in the Fall of 2016.

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