HomeMy WebLinkAboutInformation Only 092424AGENDA
INFORMATION UPDATE
September 24, 2024
5:00 PM,
I.Information Update
I.A August Destination Marketing Report
I.B Follow-Up Memorandum: Community Office for Resource Efficiency (CORE) -
Organizational and Governance Update
I.C Aspen Public House Lunch Service Update
I.D Golf Department Work Session Follow Up Memo
I.E Salinity Monitoring of the Roaring Fork River
I.F Armory Hall - Redevelopment Considerations
I.G Castle Creek Bridge Response Letter from CDOT
August24_DMReport.pdf
CORE Organizational and Governance Update - Work Session Follow Up
Memo_9.10.2024.docx
William Johnson for Public House Letter to Council re Lunch Service 9.10.24.docx
Aspen Public House Lunch Service Council Information Memo.docx
Golf_Department_Follow-Up_Memo_to_9-9_Council_Meeting.docx
Salinity Monitoring Info Memo_2024 Update_Final.docx
Council Info Memo RE De-Icing Study Results 2022_ATTACHMENT A.docx
2024.09.24_INFORMATION ONLY_Armory Hall Redevelopment
Considerations.docx
Information Memo Castle Creek Bridge.docx
Sept2024AspenResponse.pdf
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August 2024 Destination Marketing Report for Council
Destination Marketing: In partnership with the City of Aspen, the Colorado Green Business Network of Aspen was
launched this month. We are promoting fall visitation via a digital campaign with TwoSix Digital. We are also planning
campaigns specific to Wintersköl’s new date in December. The Colorado Tourism Office grant cycle is open again for
submissions and we will support another year with the Colorado Historic Opera Houses loop in collaboration with the
Wheeler Opera House. Maroon Bells visitation is up slightly over last year, which is bucking the trend for outdoor
recreation sites throughout the state which are trending downward from previous years, bus service will continue later
into the season than prior years. The July PR Report can be found here and the social media report here. The Month at a
Glance Data report is available here; Visa Spend reports are available upon request.
Sales sent out our quarterly newsletter to our group meeting planners and it received a 43% open rate. The sales team is
hosting our annual wedding planner fam August 26-29. ACRA is sponsoring the Insurance and Financial Conference
Planners program and will present to the group August 26-28. The sales Team met with TwoSix for a midyear review of
our paid campaign and to make some adjustments prior to Q3 + Q4 campaigns launching. We will be working on lead
generation vs. building awareness from the engaged user. ACRA hosted global journalists for a quick media fam in
partnership with the CTO. The media stopped in Aspen during their multi-city tour focused on F&B offerings throughout
the state.
Special Events: The Events team is all about Wintersköl planning. We have confirmed our new committee members,
have connected with our event partners for the first draft of our schedule, and are starting ads for the upcoming slogan
contest, Sept 3 – 13. Please let us know if your organization has an event you’d like to include in the schedule of events,
Dec 12 – 15. Julie, Taylor and Sarah will be travelling to Charleston for the inaugural Food & Wine Classic in Charleston,
Sept 27-29, to showcase Aspen and The Little Nell. Together we will be offering a chance to win a trip to the Food &
Wine Classic in Aspen in 2025!
Airport Guest Services: Discussion is taking place to improve the service for the Roaring Fork Express within the next
three weeks. Interviews are taking place to hire potentially three new staff as we gear up to the winter season.
Visitor Centers: Cooper Mall pavilion renovations are almost complete by the city. The counter tops have new material,
the brochure racks were replaced and sanded, the door was fixed, and the letters were straightened. The gondola plaza
location has been a pleasant experience in the meantime and the staff was very happy to have a lovely spot to assist the
public. A huge thank you to SkiCo for accommodating us during this time.
Sales Tax Reports: As of the June 2024 Consumption Tax Report, released in August, the 2024 Tourism Promotion Fund
is coming in 1% ahead of 2023 collections and 1% above projections.
Recent Press Coverage
Occupancy statistics and commentary, as well as visitor center counts, website data and air service information can now
be found on the following page in the Defy Ordinary Dashboard. All data points are sourced from our monthly report
with Blue Room Research and can be found in the Data Center on the website.
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HOTEL
OCCUPANCY
ASE
PASSENGER
DATA
VISITOR
CENTER
COUNTS
KEY
TAKEAWAYS
WEBSITE
STATS
ACRA's 4 Visitor Information Centers saw a
30% increase in traffic in July 2024 as
compared to July 2023. Staff assisted
14,635 individuals this year.
AUGUST 2024
In July 2024, Aspen's lodging properties reported the following:
•Occupancy grew 4.7% YOY to 76.5%
•Average Daily Rate was about flat at $850
•Room Nights Available increased 5.3% YOY
•Room Nights Booked increased 10.3% YOY
July load factor was 78.2% vs. 77.7% in 2023. Summer capacity was
increased due to the new daily summer flights being offered from STL &
LAX on Delta, in addition to capacity increases from American and
United.
It is typical to see afternoon payload restrictions due to the heat in the
month of July, which we saw some of resulting in a 98.5% completion
rate for July.
Aspen website top performing blogs and pages for July 2024
Blogs:
1.Top 5 Reasons to Visit Aspen This Summer (6,936
views)
2.Everything You Need to Know about Indy Pass (4,319
views)
3.Hiking Around the Maroon Bells (4,283 views)
4.72 Hours in Aspen (3,753 views)
5.Eloping in Aspen (1,843 views)
Pages:
1.Maroon Bells Reservations (71,431 views)2.Discover the Maroon Bells (14,696 views)3.Events (13,041 views)4.Local's Tips (11,156 views)5.Homepage (10,354 views)
•“In July, the U.S. short-term rental (STR) market saw the highest ever number of listings and demand nights, and for the
third month in a row increased occupancy on a year-over-year basis. Despite available listings reaching over 1.7 million
during the month, the occupancy rate of 68.1% was the highest monthly occupancy since July of 2022, and only slightly
lower than the pre-pandemic July 2019 occupancy rate (-0.6%).”
•“After years of declining occupancy since the record highs of 2021, AirDNA predicted that 2023 would mark the bottom of
the STR cycle, with unit-level performance starting to improve. A calendar shift in March and April confused the picture
somewhat, but with the past three months of YOY occupancy gains combined with an earlier Labor Day weekend and
strong pacing for August mean that the 2024 summer travel season will almost assuredly have improvements over 2023.”
•“On the other hand, a trend of shortening lead times has led to existing operators keeping prices level. Hosts of new
listings are also slightly undercutting market prices to ensure that rooms stay full. ADR on average was down slightly,
-1.3% compared to July 2023, reversing a trend of RevPAR improvements and decreasing RevPAR by -0.9% YOY.
•Source: AirDNA
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1
FOLLOW-UP MEMORANDUM
CITY COUNCIL WORK SESSION
MEETING DATE:September 9, 2024
FOLLOW-UP MEMO DATE:September 12, 2024
AGENDA TOPIC:Community Office for Resource Efficiency (CORE)
– Organizational and Governance Update
PRESENTED BY:Community Office for Resource Efficiencystaff; Tessa
Schreiner, Sustainability Manager
COUNCIL MEMBERS PRESENT:Mayor Torre and Council members Doyle, Guth,
Hauenstein, and Rose
_______________________________________________________________________
WORK SESSION DISCUSSION SUMMARY:
Staff from the Community Office for Resource Efficiency (CORE) presented to Council on
organizational and governance changes to the local non-profit. Specifically, CORE asked for
Council’s direction to terminate the 1995 interorganizational agreement (IOA) that established CORE
and provided for the participation of the City and other local organizations in the governance of
CORE. Under the IOA, each of the founding organizations was allotted as seat on the Board of
Trustees of CORE and had voting rights in questions related to its governance and operations. If
terminated, CORE would continue as a non-profit, delivering the same services to the Aspen
community, but its governance would not be tied by the interorganizational agreement to the founding
members.
Some Council members asked City and CORE staff various questions about the intended use of
Renewable Energy Mitigation Program (REMP) funds, discussed how the termination in the IOA
might change how REMP funds are spent, and asked questions about regional climate work.
The original Ordinance No. 55, series of 1999, which established REMP, states that “fees collected
by the program will be used to fund energy efficiency and renewable energy installations in the City
of Aspen and Pitkin County and, if necessary, purchase wind energy from wind generators in
Colorado or Wyoming.” Subsequent updates to the building code, where this language was housed,
have removed this specific language for how REMP funds should be used, but staff has continued
to propose the use of thesefunds forreducing greenhouse gas emissions from the built environment,
per its intended purpose, which Council approves annually during the budget cycle.
After discussion, Council provided the following direction:
1.Topic: Direction to terminate the interorganizational agreement that established CORE.
Council majority consensus: There was general consensus to direct staff to bring back a
resolution to Council that terminates the interorganizational agreement.
NEXT STEPS: Staff will bring back a resolution to Council to terminate the Interorganizational
Agreement that established the Community Office for Resource Efficiency.
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2
CITY MANAGER NOTES:
______________________________________________________________________________
______________________________________________________________________________
__________________________________________
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To: City of Aspen Town Council
From: Aspen Public House
RE: Weekday Lunch Opera?ons
Date: September 10, 2024
In an effort to explore off-season lunch strategies, Aspen Public House will remain open for
lunch & dinner as specified in the lease indefinitely. This will allow us to collect sales data to see
what works and what does not and make decisions ensuring the financial sustainability of the
restaurant moving forward.
Sincerely,
William Johnson
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INFORMATION ONLY MEMORANDUM
TO:Aspen City Council
FROM:Lisa Rigsby Peterson, Executive Director Wheeler Opera House
THROUGH:Diane Foster, Assistant City Manager
MEMO DATE:September 12, 2024
RE: Aspen Public House Lunch Service
PURPOSE:
This memo is to update Council about lunch service at Aspen Public House. Earlier this
summer Council directed proprietor Bill Johnson to consider how he could conform with
the terms of his lease regarding lunch service once the high summer season concluded.
Council requested an update by the end of September.
As the following letter from Bill indicates, his intention is to continue the 7 day a week
lunch and dinner service which he has been providing since the beginning of summer, in
conformance with his lease terms. Therefore, there will be no additional requests of
Council to consider changes to the existing lease regarding lunch and dinner service
outside of the current terms.
SUMMARY:
Aspen Public House is currently in conformance with lease terms, and no modification or
concession requests are anticipated.
NEXT STEPS:
No action is requested of Council.
ATTACHMENTS:
Letter from Bill Johnson
CITY MANAGER NOTES:
Please contact the City Manager if there are questions or follow up needed regarding
the information provided.
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FOLLOW-UP MEMORANDUM
CITY COUNCIL WORK SESSION
WORK SESSION MEETING DATE:Monday, September 9th, 2024
FOLLOW-UP MEMO DATE:Friday, September 13, 2024
AGENDA TOPIC:Aspen Golf Club Business Plan
PRESENTED BY:Jim Pratt, Golf Manager
COUNCIL MEMBERS PRESENT:Torre, John Doyle, Sam Rose, Ward
Hauenstein, Bill Guth
______________________________________________________________________
WORK SESSION DISCUSSION SUMMARY:
City Council was informed of the status of the Aspen Golf Club Business Plan from Sirius
Golf Advisors, LLC and of its projected delivery date to the golf department. City Council
was asked for direction on whether the golf course should continue to operate as an
amenity to the community or more of a profit center. Finally, City Council was updated on
some of the major capital needs as identified by the consultants, as well some of the
department’s staffing challenges and opportunities.
1.Topic:Amenity vs Profit Center
The majority of City Council members expressed that they are happy that the golf
course is operating as an amenity to the community year-round and do not want
to change this. Offsetting operational costs was mentioned as the goal for the golf
department.
2.Topic:Golf Capital Needs
Golf staff spoke to some of the major facility-related capital needs of the golf
program. City Council members acknowledged some of the limitations of the aging
facility but also expressed disappointment that a 22-year old pro shop was not able
to handle the growth seen in recent years. Staff spoke about possible funding
sources through partnerships with the Parks and Open Space Department,
including potential bonding opportunities with other Parks and Recreation facility-
related projects. Mayor Torre suggested that he would even consider the General
Fund as a potential source of funding.
Staff also spoke to City Council about what a leased model of the golf course operations
might look like. Staff identified some of the challenges and opportunities that each
business model has, and shared some of the issues that were seen when the pro shop
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was run by a leaseholder many years ago. The majority of council members supported
the current, City managed approach.
NEXT STEPS:
The Golf Department is waiting to receive the final Business Plan from Sirius Golf
Advisors LLC. Once received, the golf department will review the plan and present
recommendations to City Council in the future.
CITY MANAGER NOTES:
______________________________________________________________________
______________________________________________________________________
__________________________________________________________
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1 *According to the EPA National Recommended Water Quality Criteria - Aquatic Life Criteria Table
https://www.epa.gov/wqc/national-recommended-water-quality-criteria-aquatic-life-criteria-
table#:~:text=The%20CCC%20of%2020mg/L,mg/L%20whichever%20is%20higher.
INFORMATION ONLY MEMORANDUM
TO:Aspen City Council
FROM:PJ Murray, P.E., Clean River Program & Stormwater Manager
Kyla Smits, CFM, Project Manager
Daniel Maldonado, Streets Superintendent
THROUGH:Trish Aragon, City Engineer
Tyler Cristoff, Director of Public Works
MEMO DATE:September 24, 2024
RE: Salinity Monitoring of the Roaring Fork River
PURPOSE:
This memorandum is to provide an update on the on-going salinity monitoring of the
Roaring Fork River. The City of Aspen Engineering Department is believes additional,
targeted applications of a deicing agent on city streets may enhance safety for drivers,
cyclists and pedestrians.
SUMMARY:
In the summer of 2020, Council directed
staff to study the water quality and safety
impacts of the limited application of
deicing materials to several City streets
through the winter of 2020-2021. After
staff consideration and discussion, the
deicing agent IceSlicer was chosen for this
seasonal test.IceSlicer was chosen for the
following reasons:
1. Ease in transport & storage
2. Application technique
3. Did not require the purchase of
additional equipment
4. Recommended de-icing agent by CDOT
5. Used successfully by the Streets Department in the past.
The Streets Department applied IceSlicer to Main Street and key areas of primary bus
routes for the 2020-2021 winter season (Figure 1: red line). Staff initially chose to monitor
Figure 1: De-Icing Application and Monitoring Locations
10
1 *According to the EPA National Recommended Water Quality Criteria -Aquatic Life Criteria Table
https://www.epa.gov/wqc/national-recommended-water-quality-criteria-aquatic-life-criteria-
table#:~:text=The%20CCC%20of%2020mg/L,mg/L%20whichever%20is%20higher.
the salt levels in the river by utilizing chloride conductivity probes. This decision was made
in consideration of staff time for collecting and processing water samples. The
conductivity probe locations (represented by the blue dots)are shown in Figure 1.In the
Fall of 2022, staff recommended the continued limited application of IceSlicer and
conductivity monitoring for additional winter seasons to collect more data. The memo
leading to that decision is included as Attachment A.Continued application of IceSlicer,
has been done every winter with continued monitoring of the health of the river.The
continued application of IceSlicer improved road conditions and thus far shown no
observed impacts on the health of the river.
The conductivity probes have proven to not be as useful of an approximation tool for
chloride accumulation in the river as staff initially anticipated. The probes were frequently
fully incased in ice which prevented any data from being collected. Staff concluded that
the conductivity probes could not be relied upon for future data in relation to IceSlicer
application on the City streets.Therefore, staff collected water samples during the 2023-
2024 winter season to better determine the current effects of the limited IceSlicer
application.
The Engineering Department
compared the chloride levels in
the river after storms to the
background level of chloride.
The baseline level of river
chloride concentration is lower
than 2mg/L as tested from
Stillwater Bridge, which was our
control sampling point,
upstream of any outfalls from
town. The EPA currently has a
recommended safe limit of 250
mg/L of chloride concentration
for surface water to protect
aquatic life1. The Engineering
Department gathered data on
average snowfall, snow
accumulation, river flowrate,
melt volumes, and IceSlicer
volumes. Using this data,it was
estimated that the river currently
Figure 2: City of Aspen Bus Routes
11
1 *According to the EPA National Recommended Water Quality Criteria - Aquatic Life Criteria Table
https://www.epa.gov/wqc/national-recommended-water-quality-criteria-aquatic-life-criteria-
table#:~:text=The%20CCC%20of%2020mg/L,mg/L%20whichever%20is%20higher.
experiences a concentration of 33 mg/L after snowstorms with the current salt placement.
The Engineering Department has worked to evaluate impacts of additional deicer
application while keeping the health of the river at the forefront. Engineering and Streets
met to discuss potential locations for streets to apply IceSlicer moving forward. The
Streets Department evaluated the concept of IceSlicer application on all Aspen bus
routes, the south ends of Aspen St., Monarch St., Mill St. and Galena St. from the top of
the hills to Durant Ave., excluding the Cross-Town Shuttle & core section of Galena St.
bus routes since icing has not been historically observed as an issue. Engineering
calculated that the concentration of chloride in the river with IceSlicer applied to all
requested areas is estimated to be 76 mg/L. Staff determined that water sampling will
need to continue to be the method going forward to evaluate river health in relation to salt
content. While more labor intensive, this will give staff more accurate data to analyze the
effects of increased IceSlicer application.Engineering does not expect this incremental
increase in chloride concentration to have negative impact on the river.
NEXT STEPS:
The Engineering Department supports additional IceSlicer application during storms to
provide better service to the community. To ensure that increasing deicer use does not
negatively impact the Roaring Fork River, the Engineering Department will monitor
chloride levels throughout the winter season. The Streets Department applies salt
during and after snowstorms from November through April. Water samples will be
collected approximately 24 hours after each snowstorm. Both river water and direct
runoff from the city’s stormwater outfalls will be tested for chloride levels. The plan
involves sampling above and below the City of Aspen to get a true picture of the effects
the City’s salt application has on the Roaring Fork River. Staff will notify council on the
results of the data collection and increased deicer application and its effects on the
river.
ATTACHMENTS:
Attachment A – Results from Deicer Use Study of 2020-2022 and Next Steps
CITY MANAGER NOTES:
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INFORMATIONAL MEMORANDUM
TO:Mayor and City Council
FROM:April Long, P.E., Clean River Program Manager
THROUGH:Trish Aragon, P.E., City Engineer
Jerry Nye, Streets Superintendent
Scott Miller, Public Works Director
MEMO DATE:October 7, 2022
RE:Information Only: Results from Deicer Use Study of 2020-2022 and Next Steps
Background: In the summer of 2020, Council directed staff to study the water quality and
safety impacts of the limited application of deicing materials to several City streets through
the winter of 2020-2021. The memo leading to that decision has been included here as
Attachment B.
Discussion - Analysis and Results:
In the fall of 2020, and after staff consideration and discussion, the deicing agent IceSlicer
was chosen for this seasonal test because of its ease in transport, storage, and
application technique; it did not require the purchase of additional equipment; it is a
recommended de-icing agent by CDOT; and it has been used successfully by the Streets
Department in the past.
IceSlicer is a granular blend of chlorides, which has the ability to lower the freezing point
of water, therefore accelerating the melt of snow and ice. Its granular nature also provides
some traction, like sand, which can also improve road conditions for vehicles. The Streets
Department applied IceSlicer to targeted locations throughout town (see Figure 1) in the
Mill Street drainage sub-basin. These areas were chosen because of significant winter
traffic accident counts and RFTA requests. During the winter of 2020-2021, Streets
applied 58.3 tons of IceSlicer from November – March, which saw 53 days with snow
accumulation. This past winter (2021-2022), streets applied 75.6 tons of IceSlicer from
November to April, which saw 62 days with snow accumulation (see Figure 2). The last
day IceSlicer was applied was April 13th, 2022.
13
*Source: Peinado-Guevara, H., et al. (2012). Relationship between chloride concentration and electrical conductivity in
groundwater and its estimation from Vertical Electrical Soundings (SEV) in Guasave, Sinaloa, Mexico. Agricultural
Science and Research, 39 (1), 229-239. https://dx.doi.org/10.4067/S0718-16202012000100020
Figure 1: De-Icing Application and Monitoring Locations
58.3
75.6
0.0
10.0
20.0
30.0
40.0
50.0
60.0
70.0
80.0
2020-2021 2021-2022 Total Ice Slicer Used (tons)Ice Slicer Useage (by season)
14
*Source: Peinado-Guevara, H., et al. (2012). Relationship between chloride concentration and electrical conductivity in
groundwater and its estimation from Vertical Electrical Soundings (SEV) in Guasave, Sinaloa, Mexico. Agricultural
Science and Research, 39 (1), 229-239. https://dx.doi.org/10.4067/S0718-16202012000100020
Figure 2: De-Icing Application and Monitoring Locations
Figure 3: Sand Application Amounts
One of the reasons for exploring the application of a de-icing agent was to equally reduce
the amount of sand applied through the winter. Sand –actually 3/8” rock -presents its
own environmental impacts, especially as it is ground down to a finer particle that is more
easily carried in snowmelt into the City’s stormwater system and discharged into the
Roaring Fork River or its tributaries. Therefore, the City is trying to determine if there is a
potential water quality improvement by reducing sand applications through the
introduction of an alternative winter street treatment (i.e. de-icing agent such as salt). In
the ten winter seasons prior to 2020-2021, the City applied on average 392 tons of sand
per season, ranging from 155 tons in 2016-2017 and 586 tons in 2010 –2011 (a very
high snow year). In 2020-2021, during the period of testing de-icing agent application, the
City applied only 131 tons of sand.In winter of 2021-2022, Streets applied 227 tons of
sand. See Figure 3 above.
As can be seen in Figure 3, less sand was needed in the two years that sand combined
with IceSlicer was used for winter street treatment, than in most of the other years when
only sand was used. Overall, there was an increase in both sand and IceSlicer usage
during the winter of 2021-2022 compared to the previous year. This is reasonable
586
431
373
423 439
478
155
296
477
265
131
227
0
100
200
300
400
500
600
700
Total Sand Applied (tons)Sand Application - Total Tons Applied Each Season
15
*Source: Peinado-Guevara, H., et al. (2012). Relationship between chloride concentration and electrical conductivity in
groundwater and its estimation from Vertical Electrical Soundings (SEV) in Guasave, Sinaloa, Mexico. Agricultural
Science and Research, 39 (1), 229-239. https://dx.doi.org/10.4067/S0718-16202012000100020
considering that there were more days of snow accumulation and a longer period of the
winter during which winter street treatment methods were needed.
The application of chlorides, and therefore IceSlicer, can have negative impacts for water
quality and aquatic ecosystems. Chloride (salt) in water bodies is naturally occurring and
differs from watershed to watershed depending on the geologic weathering, soils, local
land use, and atmospheric depositions. Chloride affects the water body’s conductivity,
salinity, and TDS (total dissolved solids) levels. Most aquatic species have adapted to
specific salinity levels. However, when conductivity and salinity values extend too far from
their normal range, it can be detrimental to the aquatic life living there.
The State of Colorado does not currently have an aquatic life standard for chloride.
However, it does have a drinking water chloride standard of 250 mg/L average over 30-
days. The EPA does have an aquatic life standard and sets the chronic chloride pollution
standard at 230 mg/L over a 4-day average and the acute standard at 860 mg/L. These
limits are based on findings that in general, chronic concentrations of 230 mg/L are
harmful to aquatic life, while concentrations above the acute standard are lethal and sub-
lethal to aquatic plants and invertebrates.
It is necessary to explain that chloride levels are difficult to measure – samples must be
hand-collected and sent to a lab for analysis. The labor and time intensiveness of this
exercise led staff to use a different method for collecting data –conductivity probes.
Conductivity is directly impacted by changes in chloride levels and salinity. However, it is
important to keep in mind that conductivity is also related to water temperature and flow.
As a result, increases in chloride and/or temperature will result in higher conductivity in
the water. Increases in flow will decrease the conductivity of water. By measuring
conductivity and comparing it with temperature and flow, staff anticipated the ability to
indicate if chloride levels were affecting the river.
In order to monitor changes in conductivity and temperature, Clean River Program staff
placed conductivity probes in three locations:
Roaring Fork River near Stillwater Bridge. This location is upstream of any winter
road treatment in Aspen and therefore serves as a control point for determining
baseline conditions in the river.
Rio Grande Park bioswale between Mill Street and the rugby field. This location
receives runoff from the Mill Street basin where the Streets department applied
IceSlicer. It serves to measure conductivity in snowmelt prior to reaching the river
and combining with cleaner water.
Roaring Fork River just below the Rio Grande Park outfall. This location is
downstream of the outfall where IceSlicer-laden runoff enters the river. It serves to
measure increased conductivity in the river due to the City’s application of IceSlicer
and the River’s ability to assimilate after receiving chloride-heavy runoff.
16
*Source: Peinado-Guevara, H., et al. (2012). Relationship between chloride concentration and electrical conductivity in
groundwater and its estimation from Vertical Electrical Soundings (SEV) in Guasave, Sinaloa, Mexico. Agricultural
Science and Research, 39 (1), 229-239. https://dx.doi.org/10.4067/S0718-16202012000100020
The conductivity probes were installed on November 20, 2020 and collected data every
15 minutes until March 29, 2021. The probes were re-deployed and started collecting
data in 15 minute intervals on January 19
th 2022 until May 28
th 2022. Staff compared the
daily maximum conductivity with the daily average water temperature and the daily
average flow in each location, as well as dates of snow accumulation and heavy IceSlicer
application by the Streets Department. Tables 1 and 2 below summarize the data
collected from each winter season and Attachment A shows the data in graphed form.
At the two in-river locations (Stillwater and the Rio Grande outfall), conductivity generally
increased as water temperature increased (as expected). Additionally, the conductivity in
these locations stayed within a small range. At the Stillwater upstream location
conductivity ranged from 3 – 72.8 μS/cm (micro siemens per centimeter), and at the Rio
Grande outfall downstream location conductivity ranged from 109 – 395 μS/cm. At the
Mill Street bioswale, however, conductivity was much higher, ranging from 1 – 2486
μS/cm, and fluctuated quite a bit, decreasing significantly in April when the Streets
Department stopped applying IceSlicer – indicating that the probes picked up the
increases in chloride in snowmelt runoff from streets when IceSlicer had been applied.
However, there was also a large spike in conductivity in early May. Because the bioswale
showed extremely high levels of conductivity, but the river just downstream of this outfall
did not follow those fluctuations and did not record those same high conductivity levels,
staff believes that the flow and temperature of the river assimilated the conductivity levels
in this location. A comparison between the 2020-2021 conductivity data and the 2021-
2022 conductivity data is shown in Tables 1 and 2, respectively.
17
*Source: Peinado-Guevara, H., et al. (2012). Relationship between chloride concentration and electrical conductivity in
groundwater and its estimation from Vertical Electrical Soundings (SEV) in Guasave, Sinaloa, Mexico. Agricultural
Science and Research, 39 (1), 229-239. https://dx.doi.org/10.4067/S0718-16202012000100020
Table 1 – Summary of Monitoring Data for 2020-2021
Location Flow
Range
cfs
Avg Temp,
degrees F
Conductivity
micro siemens/cm
Notes
Median Range Median Range
RF River -
upstream, Stillwater 14 - 19 31 30 - 53 16 0 - 65
Upstream of City streets, no salt
Lowest temps
Lowest conductivity levels
Fluctuations in conductivity generally follow
temperatures
Bioswale -
Mill St/Rio Grande Not
measured,
estimated
< 3
35 33 - 55 2220 710 - 7090
Salted area runoff
Highest temps
Lowest flows
Spikes correlate with snow days
Declines in late Feb, early March when there
were fewer snow days
Biggest spike occurs following largest snow
day of the season
RF River -
downstream, Rio
Grande Outfall.14 - 19 33 32 - 46 165 100 - 212
Salted area runoff plus river flow
Middle temps
Conductivity increases through winter, drops
just before early February storm (maybe
because water temp and river flows
dropped?), then completely follows water
temp for remainder of season
Table 2 – Summary of Monitoring Data for 2021-2022
Location Flow
Range
cfs
Avg Temp,
degrees F
Conductivity
micro siemens/cm
Notes
Avg Median Range Median Range
RF River -
upstream,
Stillwater
14.4 - 317 41 43 26 - 55 17 3 – 72.8
Upstream of City streets, no salt
Run off caused for higher flow rates in May
Bioswale -
Mill St/Rio
Grande
Not
measured,
estimated
< 3
44 32 29 - 73 29 1 - 2486
Salted area runoff
Expected bioswale to be warmer because of
stagnant water and ambient heating.
Conductivity is elevated compared to the other
sites due to contamination, though it is much
less than the previous year.
RF River -
downstream,
Rio Grande
Outfall
16.3 - 335 41 41 32 - 55 226 109 - 395
Salted area runoff plus river flow
Run off caused for higher flow rates in May
18
*Source: Peinado-Guevara, H., et al. (2012). Relationship between chloride concentration and electrical conductivity in
groundwater and its estimation from Vertical Electrical Soundings (SEV) in Guasave, Sinaloa, Mexico. Agricultural
Science and Research, 39 (1), 229-239. https://dx.doi.org/10.4067/S0718-16202012000100020
As mentioned above, conductivity is only indicative of chloride levels and not a measure
of chloride concentration itself. And, as can be seen in the data, the Roaring Fork River
has fluctuating conductivity, most likely related to flows and temperatures. Because
conductivity is impacted by natural factors, state standards have not been set. To provide
some relativity and to determine if the conductivity levels in the Roaring Fork may threaten
aquatic life, see the Table 3 below.
Table 3 – Expected Conductivity Ranges for Differing Water Sources
Water source Expected Conductivity
Micro siemens/cm
Potable water 30 - 1500
Tap water 50 - 800
Melted snow 2 - 42
Freshwater streams, nationwide 100 - 2000
Freshwater streams, Colorado River watershed 300 - 700
Although conductivity is not a direct measure of chloride ion concentrations, conductivity
values can be used to estimate the levels of chloride concentration. For this study, a
series of unit conversion factors were used to convert conductivity to estimate chloride.
However, there are some assumptions that must be considered when converting between
the two measures. As conductivity can be influenced by multiple different factors including
flow rates, temperature, and other ions besides chloride, we cannot assume that the
conductivity values we measured are caused solely by chloride. However, if we assume
that conductivity was fully caused by only chloride ions, we can get an estimate of the
maximum chloride concentration that could potentially be impacting the conductivity
levels. Overall, these chloride concentration values should be seen as an estimate, not
an exact measurement, but can be used to get a ballpark idea of the levels of chloride at
our river monitoring sites.
The estimated chloride concentrations developed from the conductivity data using the
conversion factors can be seen in Table 4. Overall, the chloride concentrations fell well
below the toxicity level of 250 mg/L. [ A 2012 paper* detailing the relationship between
conductivity and chloride concentrations states that most uncontaminated waters have a
chloride concentration below 10 mg/L. For all three probe sites, the estimated average
chloride levels fell below 10 mg/L. Mill Street bio pond did have peak levels that reached
up to almost 18mg/L. However, this is consistent with expectations as we know that there
is contamination from the street runoff that flows directly into the bio pond. Therefore, the
estimated chloride levels show that the river concentrations fall well below the 250mg/L
toxicity standard.]
19
*Source: Peinado-Guevara, H., et al. (2012). Relationship between chloride concentration and electrical conductivity in
groundwater and its estimation from Vertical Electrical Soundings (SEV) in Guasave, Sinaloa, Mexico. Agricultural
Science and Research, 39 (1), 229-239. https://dx.doi.org/10.4067/S0718-16202012000100020
Table 4 – Estimated Chloride Concentrations for 2021-2022
Location
Chloride Concentration
mg/L Notes
Median Average Range
RF River -
upstream,
Stillwater
0.12 0.313 0.02 - 6.83
Overall, well below the toxicity
level, which is expected for a
non-contaminated water body
Bioswale -
Mill St/Rio
Grande
0.20 2.71 0.01 - 17.88
There is a higher estimated
concentration of chloride, but that
is expected for a contaminated
water body
RF River -
downstream,
Rio Grande
Outfall
1.62 1.81 0.78 - 2.84
Overall, well below the toxicity
level.
There is a decrease in estimated
chloride between the bioswale
and the river outfall showing that
the bioswale and wetlands are
providing treatment and pollution
reduction.
Conclusions and Next Steps:
Overall, staff concludes that the river can assimilate small volumes of road salt
contamination and should benefit from the associated application of less sand. In the
future road salt could be continued to be used by Streets if application is limited to only
where strictly necessary and only in areas that receive treatment (e.g. bioswales or
engineered wetlands) prior to discharge to the river. It is not recommended to have any
major increase in the application of road salt as we only have two years of data, and it
remains difficult to predict how the river may react.
Staff was not able to determine if the application of Ice-Slicer decreased winter traffic
accidents. The police department does not collect the information necessary to determine
if road conditions were the cause of the accident in their accident reports. However,
anecdotal information from RFTA noted improved road conditions and driver comfort last
winter.
The Roaring Fork River above Aspen carries cold, clean water – mostly groundwater and
snowmelt – and the conductivity data collected in the winters of 2020-2021 and 2021-
2022 fits within the expected range. While staff did not collect data to determine if direct
chloride concentration levels were exceeded, the analysis of the conductivity data
suggests that the estimated chloride levels in the river also did not fluctuate beyond a
normal range.
20
*Source: Peinado-Guevara, H., et al. (2012). Relationship between chloride concentration and electrical conductivity in
groundwater and its estimation from Vertical Electrical Soundings (SEV) in Guasave, Sinaloa, Mexico. Agricultural
Science and Research, 39 (1), 229-239. https://dx.doi.org/10.4067/S0718-16202012000100020
However, some data was difficult to understand and assign cause. Additionally, chloride,
for which there is a state standard (although it is related to drinking water aesthetics and
not aquatic life health) was not measured directly. Therefore, staff will continue
conducting this study – with the same limited application locations and product - for
upcoming winter seasons for several reasons:
To collect more data in different winter conditions (hopefully more moisture, more
snow events!)
To collect samples and conduct lab analysis specifically for chloride
To further test hypothesis for river assimilation
To isolate one storm, one area, and one application of IceSlicer for help in
determining load per application, dilution per impervious area to assist in
estimating effects of larger future applications and potential carrying capacity.
Estimate the Roaring Fork River’s (and applicable tributaries’) assimilative
capacity (and ability to continue to meet state and/or federal clean water
standards***) for chloride and during winter and early spring months.
To allow early identification and application alterations to prevent potential water
quality impairments that are the result of the City’s winter operations and use of
de-icing agents.
Staff recommends the City continue with an adaptive winter street treatment plan that
allows for flexibility and alternative street treatments depending on known or suspected
negative impacts to river health and/or aquatic life. Staff will notify Council if/when data
analysis suggests that aquatic life has been or will be negatively impacted by City
application of de-icing agents or if any state or federal standards have been exceeded.
ATTACHMENT A –Conductivity Monitoring Data, 2021-2022
ATTACHMENT B –Winter Snow Removal Operations and Deicer Use Memo, August
2020
21
*Source: Peinado-Guevara, H., et al. (2012). Relationship between chloride concentration and electrical conductivity in
groundwater and its estimation from Vertical Electrical Soundings (SEV) in Guasave, Sinaloa, Mexico. Agricultural
Science and Research, 39 (1), 229-239. https://dx.doi.org/10.4067/S0718-16202012000100020
ATTACHMENT A –Conductivity Monitoring Data, 2021-2022
22
*Source: Peinado-Guevara, H., et al. (2012). Relationship between chloride concentration and electrical conductivity in
groundwater and its estimation from Vertical Electrical Soundings (SEV) in Guasave, Sinaloa, Mexico. Agricultural
Science and Research, 39 (1), 229-239. https://dx.doi.org/10.4067/S0718-16202012000100020
23
*Source: Peinado-Guevara, H., et al. (2012). Relationship between chloride concentration and electrical conductivity in
groundwater and its estimation from Vertical Electrical Soundings (SEV) in Guasave, Sinaloa, Mexico. Agricultural
Science and Research, 39 (1), 229-239. https://dx.doi.org/10.4067/S0718-16202012000100020
24
Page 1 of 3
INFORMATION ONLY MEMORANDUM
TO:Aspen City Council
FROM:Jen Phelan, Development Manager
THROUGH:Tyler Christoff, Public Works Director
MEMO DATE:September 16, 2024
RE:Armory Hall - Redevelopment Considerations
PURPOSE:
The purpose of this memo is to provide City Council additional information in response to
questions raised at a recent council work session (August 19th) and regular meeting (August 27th),
in advance of the anticipated October 8th discussion on the Armory Hall project.
SUMMARY:
A number of questions and concerns have been raised regarding programming and operational
aspects of Armory Hall. Staff and the consultant team are responding to these items to provide
foundational information and insight on programming and design recommendations as well as the
logical progression of the development process.
Space Planning and Curation
1) Why is it important to have separate food vendors with separate kitchens at Armory Hall, rather
than a shared commissary style kitchen?
A variety of food offerings will attract a diverse group of patrons and is more likely to keep visitors
coming back. Based on experience developing and operating similar properties, the consultants
believe five kitchens will allow Armory Hall to produce an appealing mix of options. As counter-
service vendors, individual menus may be limited compared to full-service restaurants; however,
collectively menus are expected to be more expansive with broader interest. Separate kitchens
create opportunities for unique, individual vendors, allowing the property to feature distinct
concepts through a mix of local culinary talent. Likewise, locating vendors on both the ground and
upper floors allows for discovery in the building, and as a practical matter, provides for adequate
seating, circulation and accessory uses on the different levels. Compared to a commissarykitchen
model where vendors share equipment, separate kitchens are easier to manage, more
marketable to tenants, and will have greater flexibility over the long-term.
2) How will Armory Hall be a community asset and not just a privatized Food Hall?
The foundation of food and beverage in the design program is intended to serve as a gravitational
pull to visitors. The building is expected to attract local chefs, retailers, artists, and makers,
allowing for homegrown talent to be showcased. Pop-up vendors are being programmed at the
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Page 2 of 3
southwest corner of the building to complement the Saturday Market on Hopkins Avenue. Several
community gathering areas as well as large and small event areas are included to round out the
programming. Event spaces and meeting rooms can be provided gratis or for a nominal fee to
non-profits and other community organizations but will also be rented for private events such as
birthdays and corporate gatherings. When flexible spaces are not rented or provided to the
community, spaces can be reconfigured to pop-up galleries for local artists, seasonal markets,
and other uses. Some of the space can be used for overflow dining when not in use. Additionally,
space for an ACRA visitor center will be integrated into the project.
The curation of these vendor, gathering, and event spaces is critically important to provide
diversity, activity, and vitality within Armory Hall. The draw created by private business is
synergistic to the other programming and expected to expand civic potential of the asset. The
building is being programmed to behave as a “Swiss Army Knife” for the community; functional,
adaptable, and efficient for different users. The goal is to maximize the building’s utility through
all hours of the day and all seasons of the year.
Operations
3) Who will operate and manage Armory Hall, when will an operator/manager be selected?
Armory Hall is expected to be managed by a third-party licensee (or “master operator”) who will
select vendors, run the bar, and oversee common area operations and maintenance. The team
believes a third-party licensee will be the preferred partner model for the City, as less active
management is required of ownership compared to other operating structures. Alternatively, the
City could act as a more direct landlord, taking on responsibility to lease the bar and vendor areas
to private tenants while hiring a property management company to implement the business plan
and oversee operations (“landlord model”). Currently, no operational goals or asset management
plan has been clearly defined by the City;the selected operating model is dependent on the City’s
management goals. Operator proposals are anticipated to be solicited and qualified through an
RFP process in 2025. City management goals should be defined in the interim.
4) When will Armory Hall be open and how will the space stay activated?
Armory Hall is expected to operate seven days a week from the early morning to late evening.
Curating a diversity of offerings will allow the destination to stay active through operating hours
and maintain relevancy with changing seasons. Although the Aspen market experiences shoulder
seasons, with small footprint, low-overhead tenant spaces (see #5), the Armory’s design will
reduce seasonal business challenges for tenants, thus improving the user experience during
shoulder seasons. Furthermore, project activation can also be driven by tenant lease terms. The
City can negotiate leases requiring minimum operating hours/days, and/or impose menu controls
(ex: tenants shall offer more than one meal type, kids menu, make seasonal changes etc.). Lease
controls, if any, should be determined in the future, when the third-party licensee or manager
solicits tenants; dictating specific lease controls at this stage will limit future interest in the project
from both operators and tenants.
Financials
5) Are the tenant businesses expected to be subsidized by the city?
No subsidies or reduced rent to private businesses have been contemplated at this time. The
current operating model is based on market percentage rent along with a fixed rent, to be
calculated based on tenant gross sales. Most of the building will be common area, with no staffing
or operational burden to the tenants. Tenant leasable suites consist of small footprint areas,
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Page 3 of 3
allowing tenants the efficiency of counter service. As a result, food and retail vendors are expected
to incur less overhead compared to traditional formats, both in the number of staff and useable
tenant area.
6) If the businesses are not subsidized, how will their products be affordable?
The efficiency of the design program, both in vendor footprint and shared common areas, is
expected to organically drive affordability. To further ensure affordability of vendor products, the
City may elect to specify provisions in tenant leases. Food hall leases often require tenants to
offer a specific number of menu items under a certain price; for example, “tenant menu must
include X entrees or more for $X or less.”
7) What financial analysis has been completed, what are the conclusions and limitations?
Armory Hall is programmed to generate a modest return with positive income sufficient to cover
future capital expenditures. Based on experience developing and operating similar properties,
consultants have prepared an Operating Budget consistent with a Licensee operator model. The
budget projects annual revenue, expenses, and operating income to be generated by the asset.
The Operating Budget estimates approximately $500,000 of net operating income per year based
on tenant leases at market rent. The current model is effective in illustrating estimated income but
is limited to an operational viewpoint only; the model does not account for project costs or
construction timing, and thus is not yet a pro forma. A full pro forma requires estimating project
costs, projecting the City’s financing structure, and forecasting investment outlays.
8) When will a project pro forma be developed and what information is needed?
To create a pro forma that accounts for the city’s expected investment, the team will engage a
general contractor for pre-construction estimating. The team will also seek input from the City
Manager and Council regarding the public funds available and private financing mechanisms that
can be utilized. A complete pro forma will be published by the team once estimated development
costs, construction timing, and financing assumptions are determined. As customary with financial
projections for real estate development projects, Armory Hall’s pro forma inputs will become more
precise as the design is advanced. In the interim, the current Operating Budget provides for a
reasonable estimate of the asset’s financial productivity.
9) When will construction estimating begin?
To advance design efficiently and better estimate construction costs, a qualified general contractor
is anticipated to join the project team in 2025 to provide pre-construction services through the
remainder of the design phase. An RFP/RFQ is expected to be issued in late Fall 2024.
NEXT STEPS:
No action is requested of Council.
ATTACHMENTS:
N/A
CITY MANAGER NOTES:
Please contact the City Manager if there are questions or follow-up needed regarding the
information provided.
27
INFORMATION ONLY MEMORANDUM
TO:Aspen City Council
FROM:Jenn Ooton, Senior Project Manager
Pete Rice, P.E., Director of Transportation and Parking
Carly McGowan, P.E., Senior Project Manager
Lynn Rumbaugh, TDM-cp, Mobility Manager
THROUGH:Diane Foster, Assistant City Manager
Tyler Christoff, P.E., Director Public Works
MEMO DATE:Sept. 23, 2024
RE:Castle Creek Bridge Response Letter from CDOT
_____________________________________________________________________
PURPOSE:
At the Aug. 13 Aspen Regular City Council meeting, the Council voted 5-0 to send a
collaborative/cooperative letter to CDOT opening a dialogue to start the process to
replace the existing Castle Creek Bridge on its current alignment, in either a two lane or
three lane configuration, and to understand the process to consider a new split shot
alignment and the replacement of the existing bridge.
CDOT responded in a letter dated Sept. 18, 2024, which is attached.
It is important to note that where CDOT says EIS/ROD, that is used to mean that both an
Environmental Impact Statement and a Record of Decision would be required. The
Record of Decision is the conclusion of the National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA) EIS
process.
NEXT STEPS:
Based on the responses received.
CITY MANAGER NOTES:
______________________________________________________________________
______________________________________________________________________
__________________________________________________________
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