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Home My WebLink Aboutagenda.council.joint.202104201 AGENDA Joint City Council / BOCC Work Session/ Town of Snowmass Village April 20, 2021 4:00 PM, ZOOM Public viewing information via Zoom: https://us02web.zoom.us/j/87561785626?pwd=QUF5K2FXeTd1R2l3b3pDbk0vdnhYdz09 www.zoom.com Phone: 312-626-6799 Passcode: 015105 Webinar ID: 875 6178 5626 I.WORK SESSION I.A.Wildfire Presentation I.B.Maroon Bells Presentation 1 Pitkin County 2021 Wildfire Season April 20, 2021 Joint Work Session with Pitkin County BOCC, Aspen City Council and Snowmass Village Town Council ATTACHMENT A 2  National Weather Service (NWS) Wildfire Weather Forecast Pitkin County Jeff Colton Meteorologist 3 |**Edit Office**| National Weather Service Pitkin County Weather Brief Grand Junction, CO March 11, 2021 12:00 PM Jeff Colton -Warning Coordination Meteorologist/IMET Spring and Early Summer Weather Outlook ●State of the Snowpack ○Concerns with Runoff ●Drought update ●Fire Season Outlook ●Climate Prediction Center Spring/Summer 4 |**Edit Office**| National Weather Service Pitkin County Weather Brief Grand Junction, CO March 11, 2021 12:00 PM State of the Snowpack 5 |**Edit Office**| National Weather Service Pitkin County Weather Brief Drought Update -April 2021 vs. April 2020 March 11, 2021 12:00 PM Grand Junction, CO6 |**Edit Office**| National Weather Service Pitkin County Weather Brief Fire Outlook -“Normal” through May -June and July shown below March 11, 2021 12:00 PM Grand Junction, CO7 |**Edit Office**| National Weather Service Pitkin County Weather Brief Climate Prediction Center Outlook April - June -Temperatures March 11, 2021 12:00 PM Grand Junction, CO8 |**Edit Office**| National Weather Service Pitkin County Weather Brief Climate Prediction Center Outlook April - June -Precipitation March 11, 2021 12:00 PM Grand Junction, CO9 |**Edit Office**| National Weather Service Pitkin County Weather Brief The End March 11, 2021 12:00 PM Grand Junction, CO10  Colorado Division of Fire Prevention and Control Ryan McCulley Battalion Chief 11 State of Colorado Fire Resources 12 Division of Fire Prevention and Control DFPC •DFPC was created July 1st 2012 •Consolidated all of the state’s fire services into one agency. •DFPC assumed wildland fire responsibilities from the Colorado State Forest Service. •Wildland Fire Management Section 13 Division of Fire Prevention and Control DFPC •Colorado has seen a lot of change over the last 10 years. •Colorado has a broad range of fire suppression resources positioned throughout the state. •Continuing to grow in personnel and resources. 14 Engines and Modules •Six Engines •Berthoud •Sterling •Alamosa (2) •La Junta •Montrose •5 Modules (Hand Crews) •Windsor •Black Hawk •Steamboat •Colorado Springs •Dolores 15 Helicopters •Helicopters •Two Type 2 helicopters with 10-12 person crews. •Montrose •Canon City •Primary role is wildland fire but may be used for other all hazard incidents. •Search and rescue •Logistical missions •Etc. 16 Air Tankers •SEATs •Contract 2 exclusive use Single Engine Air Tankers (SEATs) •Contract 3 call when needed •Large Air Tankers •Contract 1 exclusive use LAT •Contract 1 call when needed Very Large Air Tanker (VLAT) 17 Multi-Mission Aircraft (MMA) •Two state-owned fixed-wing aircraft •Utilizes infrared for fire detection •Supports small and large fires •Pictures •Video •Mapping 18 Overhead (BCs and DCs) •Oversee and manage state operational resources. •Assist fire departments and county Sheriffs. •Liaisons between local, state, and federal agencies. •Agency Administrators on State Responsibility Fires 19 Colorado Correctional Industries •Three type 2 Hand Crews under the Department of Corrections. •Rifle •Salida •Canon City •Available for fire response within the state. •May be utilized for cutting and fuels mitigation projects. •Formerly known as the Juniper Valley Crews. 20 Thank you! •Ryan McCulley –Colorado River Region Battalion Chief •(970) 765-6279 •ryan.mcculley@state.co.us 21  Wildfire Season Preparation in Pitkin County Kevin Warner, USFS District Ranger Valerie MacDonald, Pitkin County Emergency Manager PARTNERSHIPS Emergency Alerts PitkinAlert.org (special needs registry) Fire management agreements (business side of wildfire) Progression of wildfire management (fire dept, County, DFPC, Feds) Emergency Fire Fund Mutual aid agreements MAMA Mtn Area Mutual Aid Agreement Fire restriction coordination, based County Incident Management Team + Emergency Support Function Teams Exercises + training (Grand County Sheriff) Facilitate Pitkin County Wildfire Council Extensive multi media education and outreach campaign 22  Evacuation Planning: Sign up for PiktinAlert.org Make a plan in advance and practice Know possible evacuation routes 72 hour emergency bag Family communication plan Pet plan Leave early Pitkinwildfire.com Ready.gov/plan 23  Wildfire mitigation work and recent accomplishments: All fire departments and municipalities also working on fire mitigation in their jurisdictions. Public outreach and education Chipping program Swiss Village WUI Training exercises Open Space + Trails (County/City) 24  Aspen-Sopris RD 2011-2021 Fuels and Wildlife Treatments USFS State County MDF RMEF Total $Acres Mx $282,186 $86,170 $7,700 $15,000 $3,000 $394,056 862 72%22%2%4%1% Rx $199,354 $31,338 $82,804 $10,000 $46,833 $370,329 9,673 54%8%22%3%13% 2011-2021 Fuels and Wildlife Treatments (in Pitkin County) USFS State County MDF RMEF Total $Acres Mx $202,686 $61,770 $7,700 $5,000 $277,156 535 Rx $52,740 $19,970 $74,304 $10,000 $0 $157,014 5,001 25  What other work is ready to be accomplished Crystal River WUI Projects in Pitkin County •Redstone unit (99 acres) •Red Dog Road units (19 acres) Collins Creek Prescribed Fire Units •2,000 + acres •Environmental clearances •Noxious weed treatments Colorado State Forest Service Grant Opportunity: FRWRM •Forest Restoration and Wildfire RiskMitigation Grant Program •50% match applications due by May 19. •Csfs.Colostate.edu/funding-assistance 26 Next Steps WRNF Forest-wide fuels risk assessment Community wildland fuels mitigation collaborative effort Priority project list for BOCC / COA / TOSV / etc. consideration 27 2021 FS prescribed Fire plans Collins Creek – approx. 1,000 acres Braderich Creek – approx. 1200 acres Cattle Creek – approx. 1500 acres 28 Closeout Time for questions Insert wildfire picture Questions? 29 M E M O R A N D U M TO:Mayor and City Council FROM:John D. Krueger-Director of Transportation DATE OF MEMO: April 15, 2021 MEETING DATE: April 20, 2021 RE:Joint Work Session-Maroon Bells Update _______________________________________________________________________________ At the April 20, 2021 joint work session with the City of Aspen, Pitkin County and Town of Snowmass Kevin Warner from the USFS will present an update on the Maroon Bells and the plans for the 2021season. The update includes information on: •Stakeholder meetings •Reservations •Communications •Ticket pricing •Groups •E-bikes/bicycles Attached arethe Maroon Bells update power point presentationand the Maroon Bells Bicycle Access document. ATTACHMENTS: Maroon Bells 2021 Season Update-power point Maroon Bells Bicycle Access: Expectations for 2021 30 Maroon Bells 2021 Season Update April 20, 2021 31 •Stakeholder meetings •Reservations •Communications •Ticket pricing •Groups •E-bikes/bicycles Agenda Slide 2 32 Stakeholder Meetings •Stakeholder group monthly meetings ▪RFTA ▪City of Aspen ▪Pitkin County ▪U.S. Forest Service ▪Aspen Ski Company ▪ACRA ▪H2O ▪Romero Group •Sub-group meetings as needed: ▪Communications ▪E-bikes ▪Ticket Pricing ▪Group Reservations ▪Commercial Access 3 33 Reservations •Reservations opened April 12 for the entire season •Simplified/streamlined parking reservations ▪Day Parking (30 spaces, 12am to 4:30pm) ▪Evening Parking (30 spaces, 5pm to 12am) ▪Midnight to Midnight Parking (24 spaces) ▪Overnight Parking (10 spaces, 2 nights, 6am to 6pm [60 hours]) ▪All tickets $10 •Group reservations possible 4 34 Shuttle Operations •Shuttle service will start earlier (June 7) and end later (October 17) •Will run every 15 minutes from 8am to 5pm ▪Looking at starting service at 6am or 7am starting after July 4 •Capacity increased to 18 from 15 passengers ▪Could change based on public health guidance •29 runs/day = 522 passengers/day ▪Will add runs on peak fall weekends •Downhill reservations required after 11am •Parking at Highlands: $5/hour, maximum of $40/day 5 35 Shuttle Ticket Prices •Standard: ▪$16 adults ▪$10 seniors over 65 ▪$10 children under 12 •$10 one-way downhill ticket •Limited day-of tickets: ▪$20 adults ▪$14 seniors over 65 ▪$14 children under 12 6 36 Communications •Press release distributed on March 29 •Coordinated websites and social media with consistent messaging •Outreaching to hotels/concierges, local commercial transportation providers (taxis, limos, etc.), and rental bike shops 7 37 Lessons Learned/Key Changes •Longer shuttle season •Charge for downhill riders •Increased price for day-of tickets •Discounted price for children and seniors •20% more capacity (15 to 18 passengers/bus) •Simplified parking reservations •Consistent parking price at Highlands •No commercial drop-offs allowed •Need for holistic planning effort 8 38 E-Bikes/Bicycles •Prioritizing outreach and education ▪Installing three bicycle etiquette-oriented signs along Maroon Creek Rd. ▪Created one-pager on the importance of proper bicycle etiquette ▪Developing bicycling etiquette video ▪Procuring vehicle & bicycle traffic counter to be installed just after Welcome Station ▪Bike friendly driver training for RFTA drivers ▪Reaching out to rental shops with one - pager, video, and importance of wearing helmets 9 39 E-Bikes/Bicycles •Monitoring behavior ▪Using counter to identify peak days and times ▪RFTA drivers to report all close-calls/near-misses ▪Volunteer spot checks to observe and report on behavior •May need to do more next year depending on compliance 10 40 Questions 11 41 Maroon Bells Bicycle Access: Expectations for 2021 April 14, 2021 Issue Over the past few years, the volume of bicyclists have been increasing on Maroon Creek Rd. up to the Maroon Bells. This volume reached a peak last year (2020) when e-bicycle rentals proliferated, particularly for visitors who rented an e-bike as an alternative to riding the shuttle, either because they preferred to rent an e-bike or they could not get a reservation for their desired date and time to visit the Bells. Forest Service and Roaring Fork Transportation Authority (RFTA) staff, who often travel the road multiple times daily, have noticed that e-bicyclists do not follow proper bicyclist etiquette as much as regular bicyclists on Maroon Creek Rd. Most likely, this is because e-bicyclists do not have as much experience bicycling in general or in a mountainous, non-urban environment (with narrow winding roads and limited sight lines). This issue resulted in several “near misses” with e-bicyclists nearly being hit by a vehicle (usually a RFTA shuttle) and one crash last year, which thankfully resulted in only a very minor injury. RFTA drivers recorded a handful of these near misses in letters to their supervisors. Some RFTA drivers have said that driving a shuttle up to the Bells has become so stressful that they are not going to drive this route for RFTA any longer. Proper bicyclist etiquette on Maroon Creek Rd. is defined as: • Bicycling single file at all times • Bicycling as far as possible over to the right side of the roadway • Passing other bicyclists only when there is no vehicle traffic approaching • Not passing vehicles, unless they are for some reason stopped Expectations for 2021 Staff from RFTA, the Forest Service, Pitkin County, and Aspen Ski Co. have been meeting in the off-season to determine how to improve bicycle etiquette on Maroon Creek Rd. The following steps, which aim to better educate bicyclists to the Bells, will be taken in cooperation with partners. • Signs: Pitkin County will install three signs along Maroon Creek Rd. that instruct bicyclists to ride single file and stay at least three feet away from motor vehicles. • Educational Video: The Forest Service is working with Aspen Ski Co. and the Aspen Chamber Resort Association to develop an educational video for all bicycle renters to watch before they rent an e-bike. This video can be played in rental bike shops and/or on-line. • Waiver: As part of the rental process at area bike shops, renters will be asked to sign a waiver that informs renters of mixed traffic on Maroon Creek Rd., to use caution, and of the expectation that the rider will follow proper bike etiquette and will hold RFTA drivers harmless. • Helmets: All bicycle renters and riders will be strongly advised to rent or wear a helmet. Next Steps The partners will monitor how well visitors follow proper bicyclist etiquette throughout the 2021 season. If etiquette is not followed and/or bicyclist volumes reach an unsafe level, the partners will meet to discuss if other immediate steps should be taken in addition to those described above. This step will only be taken if the safety of visitors – bicyclists, shuttle passengers, and/or motorists – is adjudged to be compromised. At the end of the season, the partners will review how the season went and if a more hands on approach is necessary next season to ensure a more safe and sustainable future. 42 ATTACHMENT D Aspen Sopris Ranger District Campgrounds 2021 Important Dates District Campground Opening Date Closure Date Aspen & Sopris Difficult CG May 14 September 6 Aspen & Sopris Lincoln Gulch CG May 21 September 26 Aspen & Sopris Lostman CG May 21 September 26 Aspen & Sopris Weller CG May 21 October 3 Aspen & Sopris Portal CG TBD TBD Aspen & Sopris Avalanche CG May 21 November 23 Aspen & Sopris Bogan Flats CG May 14 October 3 Aspen & Sopris Chapman CG - North May 14 October 3 Aspen & Sopris Chapman CG - South May 14 September 12 Aspen & Sopris Chapman Group May 14 October 3 Aspen & Sopris Dearhamer CG May 14 October 3 Aspen & Sopris Elk Wallow CG May 14 October 3 Aspen & Sopris Little Mattie CG May 14 October 3 Aspen & Sopris Little Maud CG May 14 September 12 Aspen & Sopris Mollie B CG May 14 September 12 Aspen & Sopris Redstone I CG (Allgeier/Osgood) May 14 October 3 Aspen & Sopris Redstone II CG (Mechau) May 14 September 26 Aspen & Sopris Ruedi Marina CG May 14 October 3 Aspen & Sopris Ruedi Marina DU May 14 October 3 Aspen & Sopris Silver Bar May 28 October 3 Aspen & Sopris Silver Bell May 28 October 3 Aspen & Sopris Silver Queen May 28 October 3 The Aspen Sopris Ranger District plans to allow full capacity occupancy of all campgrounds on the Ranger District this summer. The exception will be our group sites, where the capacity will be limited to any current State or County group size restrictions, as applicable. 43