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HomeMy WebLinkAboutresolution.council.007-88 RESOLUTION OF THE ASPEN CITY COUNCIL SUPPORTING PASSENGER RAIL SERVICE FOR THE CITY OF ASPEN AND THE ROARING FORK VALLEY RESOLUTION NUMBER 88-"t~ WHEREAS: The City of Aspen has a history of support for passenger rail service into Aspen and the Roaring Fork Valley, and WHEREAS: That support has been expressed by the retention and preservation of the Denver and Rio Grande Right-of-way within the City as a viable railbed, and WHEREAS: That support has further been expressed in the form of studies and planning of light-rail and regional rail service as alternate public transport methods for Aspen and the Roaring Fork Valley, and WHEREAS: The City of Aspen supports the development of passenger rail service to the Roaring Fork Valley as an essential element in the mix of available transportation choices to the destination resorts of Aspen and Snowmass, and WHEREAS: The City of Aspen believes that passenger rail service would substantially reduce current access problems to Aspen and Snowmass caused by the effects of weather on reliability and safety of the present air and highway systems, and WHEREAS: The City of Aspen believes that future commuter rail service in the Roaring Fork Valley is an essential element in reducing automobile congestion and traffic hazards on State Highway 82 and improving access to the Aspen area for the thousands of daily commuters, and WHEREAS: The citizens of Aspen demonstrated their overwhelming support in a 1985 referendum endorsing the concept of rail passenger service serving Aspen and the Roaring Fork Valley, and WHEREAS: A prerequisite of passenger rail service for the Roaring Fork Valley is an agreement with the Denver and Rio Grande Western Railroad Company for the provision of its facilities: NOW, THEREFORE BE IT RESOLVED BY THE CITY COUNCIL OF THE CITY OF ASPEN, COLORADO: That the Aspen City Council does hereby call on and urge the Denver and Rio Grande Western Railroad Company to facilitate the development of passenger rail service to Aspen and the Roaring Fork Valley by making their facilities available to the appropriate parties under reasonable and equatable terms and within a reasonable time period. BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED: That the Aspen City Council does hereby reiterate to the Denver and Rio Grande Western Railroad Company, to the citizens of Aspen and Pitkin County, and to all other interested parties, its continued enthusiastic support of the provision of passenger rail service to the Roaring Fork Valley under circumstances which benefit the citizens of and visitors to Aspen and the Roaring Fork Valley and which provide the benefits noted in this Resolution. RESOLVED BY THE CITY COUNCIL OF THE CITY OF ASPEN ON THIS TWENTY-SECOND DAY OF FEBRUARY, 1988. I, Kathryn S. Koch, duly appointed and acting City Clerk do certify that the foregoing is a true and accurate copy of that resolution adopted by the City Council of the City of Aspen, Colorado at a meeting held on the 22nd of February, 1988. Kathryn ~ Koch, City Clerk DRAFT RESOLUTION PASSED BY THE COUNCIL AND FORWARDED TO THE COLORADO ASSOCIATION OF SKI TOWN September 14, 1987 RESOLUTION NO._ (Series of 1987) In Support of United States Forest Service Public Hearings on Lift Ticket Pricing WHEREAS, most of the ski companies which operate in conjunction with ski towns manage lift networks within National Forest borders; and WHEREAS, these ski companies have negotiated special use permits with the Forest Service to lease these public grounds for the operation of their ski activities; and WHEREAS, these special use permits allow ski areas to operate exclusively on this public terrain for long leases in exchange for annual fees; and WHEREAS, most ski towns, their residents and businesses, are in large measure dependent on the ski companies for winter income and municipal - revenues; and WHEREAS, these ski companies are distinct from other ski town entrepreneurs by virtue of their privileged public land leases; and WHEREAS, the ski towns often have legitimate municipal concerns about ski company operations but because the ski operations are in the County often lack statutory powers to hold hearings as regards ski company pricing; and WHEREAS, the City of Aspen is concerned about the issue of lift ticket pricing in each member town and its affect on morale, motivation, attitudes and general affor-dability for local residents; and WHEREAS, the City of Aspen is also concerned about lift ticket pricing as it may affect the vacation decision of Coloradoans and out of state visitors so that ski towns and its ski companies may lose its competitive position in the ski industry; and WHEREAS, the United States Forest Service does have authority to review and regulate the service and rates of its permittees under the following clause of the Special Use Permit: "the Forest Service shall have the authority to check and regulate the adequacy and type of services provided the public and to require that such services conform to satisfactory standards. The permittee may be required to furnish a schedule of prices for sales and services authorized by the permit. Such prices and services may be regulated by the Forest Service: provided, that the permittee shall not be required to charge prices lower than those charged by comparable or competing enterprises." (Services and Rates, clause X-22); BE IT RESOLVED, that the City of Aspen encourages and urges the United States Forest Service to hold public hearings on lift ticket pricing in the National Forests where ski companies operate annually in order to determine the impact of pricing on the local communities before approving or disapproving proposed changes in lift ticket pricing; and THEREFORE BE IT RESOLVED, that the City Council in a spirit of cooperation with the ski companies, the citizens of Colorado and the Colorado Tourist Board wants it known that we welcome on behalf of our member towns visitors, regardless of age, race, creed or social and/or economic status. Dated: ~'~-~ /:~", 1987. ~Wil~ti~~~~.~~ I, Kathryn S. Koch, duly appointed and acting City Clerk do certify that the foregoing is a true and accurate copy of that resolution adopted by the City Council of the City of Aspen, Colorado, at a meeting held ~,~[c~,~J · 1987. Kathryfl/S. Koch, City Clerk