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AGENDA
CITY COUNCIL WORK SESSION
October 12, 2020
4:00 PM, City Council Chambers
130 S Galena Street, Aspen
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I.WORK SESSION
I.A.2021 Recommended Budget Review - 100 Parks; 471 Golf Course Fund; 152 Kids
First Fund; 141 Transportation & 451 Parking Fund (recap)
I.B.Virtual Town Hall Debrief
I.C.Health Protection Team Update
I.D.Winter Response Planning for Downtown Business Activity
1
2021 BUDGET DEVELOPMENT
Parks & Open Space, Golf, Transportation and
Parking Recap
2
Questions / Outstanding Items
2
•A work session will be scheduled to discuss
comprehensive pedestrian safety policy in 2021
•A work session will be rescheduled to discuss Park &
Midland Living Lab prior to being implemented
3
2021 BUDGET DEVELOPMENT
Parks and Open Space (100 Fund)
Matt Kuhn October 12, 20204
What We Do
4 5
What We Do
5 6
What We Do
6 7
What We Do: By The Numbers
7
•500,000 dog bags
•11,500 trees in the urban forest
•9,223 irrigation heads
•2,000 acres of open space
•270 benches
•250 tree permits reviewed
•220 trash cans
•140 building permits reviewed
•80 summertime staff
•60 miles of Nordic trails
•37 miles of multi-use trails
•33 parks (one new in 2020)
•18 miles of irrigation line
•11 playgrounds
•7 miles of ditches
8
Strategic Alignment
Safe & Lived-in Community of Choice
•Access to Parks, Open Space & Trails
•Safe Routes to Schools
8
Protect our Environment
•Wildlife Habitat
•Urban Forest
•Water Quality
•Scenic Viewplanes
Fiscal Health & Economic Vitality
•Recreational Opportunities
•Special Event Venues 9
Changes Due to COVID
9
2021 –Continue maintaining core services
•Continued reliance on permanent staff
•Backfill two FTE vacancies
•Increase seasonal workforce
•Support COVID initiatives, signs, special events, etc.
Address delayed preventative maintenance
•Some asset maintenance was deferred in 2020, will catch up on
key maintenance items
Capital projects to rebound
•Several projects were delayed or cancelled for 2020 due to staff
availability and a cautious approach to Parks fund balance
•Current revenue has allowed for a more normal capital project
portfolio for 2021
10
On the Horizon
•2025 Sunset of the Parks and
Open Space 0.5% Sales Tax
•Galena Plaza
•Cozy Point Ranch
•Herron Park Playground
•Dolensik Gardens & Lift 1
10 11
Supplemental Requests
11
Recommended
•Pitkin County Funded Nordic Budget Alignment: $38,980
While this shows as an increase in budget authority, it is entirely off-set
annually by Pitkin County Open Space and Trails. This increase corrects
differences between the County and City budgets and brings them into
alignment.
•Operational Reductions: One-time ($218K)
•Cafeteria Plan: $18.8K
12
Revenues & Expenditures
Trends
$11,990,820
$13,557,730
$0
$5,000,000
$10,000,000
$15,000,000
$20,000,000
2019 2020 2021 2022 2023 2024 2025
Revenues Expenditures
Sales Tax
Revenue
Sunsets
after 2025
12 13
Fund Balance
$4,763,974
$1,694,716
$0
$1,000,000
$2,000,000
$3,000,000
$4,000,000
$5,000,000
$6,000,000
$7,000,000
$8,000,000
$9,000,000
2019 2020 2021 2022 2023 2024 2025
Fund Balance Reserve
13
Heavy Capital
Working Down
Fund Balance
14
Revenue Sources
$154,800
$220,000
$321,500
$330,800
$352,620
$10,611,100
$0 $5,000,000 $10,000,000 $15,000,000
Investment Income/Other
Permits
Park Fee & Cozy Point
Transfers
Nordic Reimbursement
Sales Tax
14 15
$31,350
$140,000
$145,210
$164,590
$228,420
$242,220
$354,130
$362,280
$562,280
$783,630
$1,983,060
$2,359,460
$2,961,450
$3,239,650
$0 $1,000,000 $2,000,000 $3,000,000 $4,000,000
Parks Grants
Sales Tax Refunds
Cozy Point Ranch
Clean Team Alleyway
Facilities
Business Services
Nordic
Trails Maintenance
Tree Program & Open Space Mgmt
Administration / Minor Capital
Transfers
Parks Maintenance
Capital (Projects + Labor)
Debt Service
34.68 FTE
Expenditure by Program
15 16
2021 Capital Projects
•Largest 5 Projects
$236,500
$250,000
$300,000
$354,000
$450,000
$0 $200,000 $400,000 $600,000
Parks Campus Asphalt Overlay
Trail Surface Improvements
Herron Park Playground
Replacement
Fleet
Cozy Point Ranch Improvements
16 17
17
Questions?
18
2021 BUDGET DEVELOPMENT
Golf (471 Fund)
OCTOBER 12, 2020Steve Aitken 19
What We Do:
19
Provide Quality Golf,
Affordable to Locals,
With Excellent Customer
Service
20
Strategic Alignment
20
Community
Engagement
Protect Our
Environment
Smart, Customer
Focused Government
21
Changes Due to COVID
21
•Operational Adjustments
•Golf operations were made safe for staff and customers
•Initial staff utilized was from other city departments
•Service Delivery
•Work -related activities have been in person and onsite
•Revenues are up 12% ($225,000) compared to our best season
to date
•Adjustment to pass sales and usage
•Capital
•Projects were deferred or reduced due to initial revenue
forecasts 22
Supplemental Requests
22
Recommended
•Additional Golf Cart Rentals: One-time $27,500
•Operational Reductions: One-time ($61K)
•Cafeteria Plan: $4K
23
On the Horizon
23
•Masterplan Improvements
•Hole 4 Water Feature &
Tees
•Clubhouse and Starter
Shack
24
Revenues & Expenditures
Trends
$2,242,040
$2,324,400
$0
$500,000
$1,000,000
$1,500,000
$2,000,000
$2,500,000
$3,000,000
$3,500,000
2019 2020 2021 2022 2023 2024 2025
Revenues Expenditures
24 25
Fund Balance
$676,580
$290,550
$0
$100,000
$200,000
$300,000
$400,000
$500,000
$600,000
$700,000
$800,000
2019 2020 2021 2022 2023 2024 2025
Fund Balance 12.5% Reserve
25 26
Revenue Sources
$21,340
$45,000
$70,000
$82,000
$145,000
$262,000
$430,000
$471,700
$715,000
$0 $200,000 $400,000 $600,000 $800,000
Investment Income
Facility Rentals/Misc./Other
Driving Range
Golf Lessons
Cart Rental
Retail/Special Orders
Greens Fees
Transfers In
Golf Passes
26 27
$56,500
$79,260
$151,310
$161,740
$243,800
$315,830
$333,700
$418,900
$563,360
$0 $100,000 $200,000 $300,000 $400,000 $500,000 $600,000
Debt Service
Lessons
Equipment Maintenance
Golf Course Campus
Overhead/Transfers
Administrative
Capital Projects
Course Area Maintenance
Retail operations
7.12 FTE
Expenditure by Program
27 28
2021 Capital Projects
$10,000
$35,000
$50,000
$90,000
$148,700
$0 $50,000 $100,000 $150,000 $200,000
Annual Improvements
Rental Clubs
Fleet
Locker Room Remodel
Hole 4 Rebuild
28
Largest 5 Projects
29
29
QUESTIONS?
30
2021 BUDGET DEVELOPMENT
Transportation (141 Fund) -Recap
October 12, 2021John Krueger 31
Summary from September 21 Meeting
31
•Supplemental (one-time) $73K for custodial services at
Rubey Park due to need for increased cleaning
•Reductions to service driven by COVID-19 public health
regulations / cleaning and RFTA operating constraints
(drivers and mechanics)
•Approximately $2M in CARES Act funding in 2020 to
offset revenues
32
Questions from September 21 Meeting
32
Opportunities for Downtowner to be used more?
Viability of the Car-to-Go Program in the future?
Electrification of WeCycle -future focus?
Ridership numbers for no-fare City mass transit routes?
o Specifically Mountain Valley and Cemetery Lane
33
Ridership History
33
Annual Ridership Cost/Pax
Year Round City Service:2015 2016 2017 2018 2019 2015 2016 2017 2018 2019
Cemetery Lane 74,305 95,828 111,331 110,276 105,842 8.78 6.98 6.13 6.64 7.55
Hunter Creek 257,566 329,961 342,001 335,397 348,101 2.41 1.93 1.91 2.09 2.2
East End Dial A Ride 44,748 69,951 52,366 53,729 61,726 13.76 8.99 12.23 12.81 12.2
Castle/Maroon 457,649 550,733 582,896 551,148 566,510 3.05 2.59 2.48 2.82 3
Burlingame ABC 72,886 130,952 138,019 144,175 153,221 8.62 8.46 8.82 8.98 9.23
Seasonal Aspen Service:
Galena St Shuttle 39,213 49,556 74,866 70,436 78,863 5.9 4.86 3.34 3.81 3.72
Cross Town Shuttle 33,671 34,470 32,269 36,188 39,464 8.91 8.91 9.71 10.28 10.3
MAA 46,161 80,981 69,825 62,348 73,458 3.95 2.24 2.65 3.14 2.93
Maroon Creek Road 52,593 57,749 62,680 49,959 59,210 3.07 3.03 2.85 3.96 3.66
Total City of Aspen Service:1,078,792 1,400,181 1,466,253 1,413,656 1,486,395 $4.44 $3.84 $3.80 $4.33 $4.51
Downtowner 22,886 47,664 70,762 78,851 $ 3.90 $6.00 $3.90 $6.86
34
Ridership History
340
500
1,000
1,500
2,000
2,500
3,000
3,500
4,000
4,500
5,000
5,500
RidershipCOA Daily Ridership Jan-Oct (Preliminary)
BURLINGAME
CASTLE MAROON
CEMETERY LANE
CROSS TOWN*
GSS: GALENA STREET SHUTTLE
HD: HIGHLANDS DIRECT
HUNTER CREEK
MOUNTAIN VALLEY
Total COA
35
35
Questions?
36
2021 BUDGET DEVELOPMENT
Parking (451 Fund)-Recap
October 12, 2021Mitch Osur 37
Summary from September 21 Meeting
37
•Numerous changes to parking fees, including free parking in
neighborhoods
•However, enforcement has not stopped, especially in alleys and around
parks
•Department closely follows public health updates and provides mask
education services
•Steep drop in revenue from free parking and loss of parking spaces
because of street activations
•One capital project to update / replace fire suppression system
38
38
Questions?
39
MEMORANDUM
TO:Mayor Torre and City Council
FROM:Jen Phelan, Development Manager
THROUGH:Scott Miller, Public Works Director
MEMO DATE:October 8, 2020
MEETING DATE:October 12, 2020
RE:Virtual Town Halls debrief
REQUEST OF COUNCIL:This cover memo and accompanying exhibits are intended to
provide City Council with a summary of the results of the recently conducted Virtual Town
Halls that were co-hosted with ACRA.
BACKGROUND:On September 23rd and 30th the City and ACRA, with the assistance of
Design Workshop,conducted two Virtual Town Halls.The initial meeting was oriented
towards the business community while the second meeting was geared towards the broader
community. As part of the town halls a pre-survey was available on Aspen Community Voice
as well as a post-survey.
The intent of the meetings and surveys was to understand the community’s summer
experience and discuss the concerns and opportunities of the upcoming winter season in
light of the COVID-19 pandemic and to complement work the City and staff has taken to date
and is undertaking to prepare for winter.Actions by Council so far have included allocation
of six million dollars towards COVID relief funds with a multi-prong approach of policies and
actions to assist in recovery within the areas of business support, childcare, the arts,
communications, public health and family assistance.
At both moderated sessions,which included approximately 100 community participants,an
overview of how summer went was discussed using state and local statistics.Following the
introduction, a number of polling questions were asked prior to breaking into small groups.
During these virtual meetings, participants provided their thoughts and ideas of what went
well this summer in Aspen, their concerns associated with the upcoming winter season,and
ideas on how Aspen can be safe and successful during the upcoming winter months.
DISCUSSION:With both group meetings on the Zoom platform,as well as the surveys that
have been conducted (which garnered results from approximately 500 survey and Zoom
40
participants), a number of themes have emerged through these community engagement
efforts. These themes include:
Support of using public spaces for business operations and events.
Support of the mandatory mask zone.
Support of compliance with public health orders.
Concern about mental and physical health as the community transitions into winter.
Concern on the impacts of continued capacity reductions in the winter and its impacts
to the economy.
Specific business sectors provided targeted feedback, which is detailed in Design
Workshop’s summary report (Exhibit A). Additional feedback from members of the lodging,
restaurants, retail, service and non-profit sectors include the following ideas:
The use of HOV lanes for hotel shuttles.
Continued clear and coordinated communication from the City, County and ACRA.
Continuation of online community events and matching community members to share
connections.
Overall, a number of predominant themes have been identified. As outlined in Design
Workshop’s summary, these are:
Consistency in communication.Overall communication about requirements, limitations,
and opportunities was consistently identified as a need in this uncertain time. With state
regulations changing, and different requirements for different business types, a focus on
clear communication is important moving forward.
Increased testing.While this is not an item the City or ACRA can control, there was
strong support for increased testing capacity, including for visitors to ensure community
spread is minimized. Ideas about temperature monitors in public buildings and throughout
town were also identified.
Use of parks spaces.Nearly every group in the town halls, and many comments in the
survey showed support for parks to be utilized and programmed this winter. This included
the use of Wagner Park as a place for a take-out dining area. Other ideas included using
the golf course for expanded outdoor recreation opportunities.
Use of public right-of-way.There was interest from the community to utilize streets and
parking areas for events and business activity. Ideas included spaces for restaurant
waiting areas, curbside pick-up areas, and organized celebration of winter events using
the streets, much like Winterskol.
Promote sense of community and volunteerism. A commonality throughout the
feedback was creating opportunities for community members to be involved in helping one
another. This came up in ideas ranging from creating programs to connect seniors and
kids through online story time, to identifying opportunities for restaurants and non-food
businesses to partner, to promotion of the season of giving for non-profits.
41
Besides the principal themes that are outlined in this memo, there were many thoughts and
suggestions provided in the town halls and surveys (included as part of the Design Worksop
summary) on what went well and not so well. It’s important to recognize that some policies and
actions can be initiated by the City, while others, such as public health orders (and testing), are
not within the City’s purview. Regardless of who may have authority, the feedback assists in
identifying what thoughts and concerns are at the forefront of community.
RECOMMENDATIONS:The feedback from this outreach effort provides an opportunity to
guide the City’s (and other entities such as ACRA or Pitkin County) decision making and
programmatic changes to winter activities and operations. With city staff currently developing
a range of recommendations for Council to consider, the feedback provided by the
community can corroborate support for upcoming policy decisions that are within Council’s
purview.
CITY MANAGER COMMENTS:
EXHIBITS:
Exhibit A: Design Workshop summary report
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Page 1
Aspen COVID-19 Town Hall Summary Report
To: City of Aspen and ACRA
From: Design Workshop: Becky Zimmermann,
Jessica Garrow, Carly Klein
Date: October 9, 2020
Introduction:
Design Workshop was hired by the City of Aspen and ACRA to assist in holding community town halls to understand
concerns and plans for the winter season given the COVID-19 pandemic. The effort included:
• Summer Data Summary – A summary existing conditions report that defined significant actions and results
from the summer season
• Town Hall #1 – A venue for business owners and managers to share successes of summer and to voice
concerns and possible solutions for the winter season. Approximately 75 people participated.
• Town hall #2 – An open venue for anyone in the community to share their thoughts on the same items.
Approximately 50 people participated.
• Pre-survey – Completed prior to the virtual town halls, providing the community an opportunity to respond
specific questions. Over 325 responses were received.
• Post-survey – Completed after the town halls, providing the community an opportunity to identify tradeoffs
and ideas for a thriving winter. This far, more than 100 responses have been received.
This summary report compiles all the information and feedback received and is organized into four topics: 1: Summer
Trends; 2: Community Feedback; 3: Tradeoffs; and 4: Overall Themes.
Overall, the engagement revealed support for working together as a community to address the needs and
circumstances in Aspen. Constructive discussion covered a range of topics such as coordinated communication
efforts, the use of public spaces, supporting events online and as smaller gatherings, and embracing the celebration
of winter all season long.
Summer Trends:
Detailed information was presented through an existing conditions report and in the town hall presentations. These
are included as appendices to this document. In April, the Aspen City Council approved six (6) objectives for recovery
from the COVID-19 pandemic and allocated
$6 million in assistance to the community.
• Economic Security
• Economic Recovery
• Mental Health
• Pitkin County Support
• Communication
• Government Services
Landscape Architecture
Planning
Urban Design
Strategic Services
120 East Main Street
Aspen, Colorado 81611
970.925.8354
designworkshop.com
Distribution of City funds
43
Page 2
The funds have been used to support businesses, families, and individuals.
Since mid- March when stay at home orders were first implemented state-wide, there have been significant
fluctuations in lodging occupancy, retail sales, and real estate sales. Aspen experienced a significant decline in all
sectors in March through May, with the economy somewhat rebounding in certain sectors in the summer months.
While the summer was down, generally it was better than expected. Some key indicators include:
1. Real estate sales have experienced significant growth. This is a trend occurring throughout mountain
communities, and in Aspen the Real Estate Transfer Tax in August showed a nearly 300% year over year
increase. In just 8-months of the year, the entire projected 2020 budget was reached.
2. Retail sales are beginning to rebound. This is partially due to the collection of sales tax on internet sales,
and growth in the sport equipment and liquor categories. Aspen has seen an approximately 15% decline
year over year through July, but July retail sales were down just 8% compared to 2019. This indicates that
while not fully recovered, there were more sales in the summer that have assisted in making up ground lost
in April and May.
3. Lodging occupancy is increasing. While occupancy remains below typical levels, it began to increase as
the summer went on. A new trend in hotel bookings is toward more last minute bookings for lodging
accommodations. For example, in July, the September bookings were anticipated to be 52% lower than in
2019, but by August those bookings were just 22% lower than in 2019. Additionally, Aspen lodges were
63.3% full in August, giving them the highest occupancy rates that month among Colorado’s resort
communities.
4.
Commercial flights appear to be leveling out. Earlier this summer, Delta Airlines announced it was
pulling from the Aspen market for the remainder of 2020, creating a significant decrease in the number of
planned flights to Aspen. In August, American Airlines announced it would add flights to Aspen for the winter
season. This addition has created a leveling off of flights into Aspen compared to 2019.
While overall economic indicators are improved this summer following the declines brought on by COVID-19, there
remain community members out of work and in need of assistance. Through August, unemployment in Pitkin County
has decreased to 7.8%, from a high of 23.6% in April. This is still nearly triple the 2.5% rate in February. While
unemployment rates are improving, they remain higher than the state average of 6.6%. Additionally, food insecurity
remains in the community, with more than 1,500 households in the upper valley receiving food assistance.
Individuals qualifying for SNAP (Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program) benefits is nearly double the same time
a year ago.
Community Feedback:
The engagement efforts conducted by the City and ACRA were focused on understanding the summer season
experience, and anticipating what the winter season may entail. Overall, community feedback showed that the
summer season went better than expected. However, not unexpected there are some concerns for the winter season
knowing that public health protocols and regulations will remain. A survey was completed before the COVID-19
Town Halls, with over 325 individuals participating. The Town Hall events included approximately 125 participants
over the course of two meetings (presentations for these are available on www.AspenCommunityVoice.com). A post-
survey was completed, with 100 community members participating. This report section details the data gathered from
these three sources.
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Page 3
The engagement shows strong support for the
use of public spaces for business operations,
the mask zone, and reduced capacity at
events. These were identified as policies that
worked well this summer and could be
continued into the winter season. As the
community transitions to planning for winter,
there is concern about mental and physical
health, the balance of operating in light of
anticipated visitation, the need for continued
capacity reductions at businesses, and the
potential expiration of the mask zone.
The overall engagement revealed support for
various policies, including the use of public
spaces, designated parking spaces for
curbside pick-up, and the extension of the
mask zone. There was less support for
allowing extended construction hours and
allowing expedited permitting.
During the engagement, there were a number
of new ideas related to different economic
sectors and different community groups. The
implementation of these ideas require a range
of efforts – some are items the City or ACRA
could implement, while others require
coordination with local organizations or the
State.
Outdoors and Recreation: Participants, particularly from the community town hall, identified the importance of
outdoor recreation as a key summer success that should be continued into the winter. Trail maintenance for winter
was identified as important, and a way to parallel the success and increase in summer hiking and biking recreation.
While not specifically discussed in the engagement dialogue, state-wide trends suggest a significant increase in
summer and winter gear sales (i.e., bikes and Nordic and backcountry skis) that enable people to be active while
social distancing.
Additionally, a number of survey and town hall comments related to embracing the outdoors in the winter, suggesting
things like celebrating the outdoors through programmed outdoor activities, opening night-time skiing, street closures
for snow activities, heating stations, and a campaign to wear your parka and enjoy winter in Aspen.
Lodging: Participants in the business town hall included a focus group specifically related to the lodging sector. This
group identified a number of areas the city and ACRA could support them through the winter, including:
• The ability to extend food and beverage service (if offered at the lodge) outdoors will be important. This
could be covered in tents or yurts or open air, but assistance from the City to help make this happen was
cited by a number of lodges as a key to helping this part of their business.
• The use of the HOV lanes for hotels shuttles, which will be required by health regulations to have low
occupancy, to move people throughout town more quickly, especially to and from the airport. CDOT has
Community Survey Results:
Which policies would you support this winter?
45
Page 4
jurisdiction over the regulations of the HOV lanes on Highway 82 and will need to agree to this change of
use.
• Direct and clear communication from ACRA, the City, and the County about requirements, any support, and
changes to rules is critical for these businesses.
• Communications support was requested related to any public health or quarantine requirements that might
apply to guests staying at a condominium or hotel. A number of lodge and condominium participants
indicated that clarity in messaging from the County and City would help them manage guest expectations
should a public health order or quarantine requirement be identified.
• Increased communication and signage at the airport to assist visitors in understanding the rules in Aspen.
This was identified as an area ACRA could support given the current presence at the airport.
Restaurants: Representatives from Aspen’s restaurants also participated in a dedicated focus group. Based on this
feedback, there are mixed feelings about the use of outdoor tents for dining this winter. Some restaurants have
already decided not to use dedicated outdoor space this winter. Others are interested, if snow, electric, and
ventilation issues can be addressed. Indoor ventilation is something many expressed they need help with. Ideas that
came from this focus group included:
• Use of open areas or parking spaces for increased waiting areas. This could enable socially distanced
queuing in a safer environment than crowded inside.
• A dedicated community-wide tent for eating take-out, or listening to music, etc. The idea of spaces that can
be fun, with music, drinks, and food was identified as something that could help the overall vibe and feel in
town, as well as supporting businesses.
• Dedicated curb-side pull up parking for take-out customers.
• A dedicated space for a winter farmers market or other food stalls.
• Allowing alcohol consumption in designated outdoor spaces as a way to support that aspect of restaurant
business.
Non-Profits: A number of comments in both town halls focused on non-profits groups. Comments focused on the
arts and events, as well as overall communication, including:
• Using outdoor spaces as a way to support social distancing at event gatherings. The 50 person limit for
events has been difficult, but organizations have pivoted to meet this requirement.
• If rapid testing is available, including that at all events could be a way to allow more people to enjoy Aspen’s
robust arts and culture offerings.
• Continuing online events. The ability for community members to see events online was cited multiple times
as a strength this summer that should continue into winter. For vulnerable populations, having the ability to
see their favorite events online was a way to stay connected to the community when they could not be
physically together. This was identified as a way to address some of the loneliness and isolation that has
been felt during the pandemic.
• Supporting increased community giving. As winter approaches, that is typically a time of increased giving
and philanthropy, and the ACRA or the City could support a campaign with the Aspen Community
Foundation to focus on non-profit giving in the fourth quarter of 2020. This could use ACRA’s 7908
campaign.
• Matching community members to share connections. An idea from the community town hall was to connect
seniors with students and families to help support learning. This could be done online and could include
support through a book club, story time, and substitute teaching. This idea is likely one that would be led by
non-profit organizations.
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Page 5
Additional focus groups included the retail sector and professional services. Input from these groups voiced similar
concerns and ideas for solutions. The concern for employees’ mental and physical health was a common concern
amongst all business sectors. A compilation of the many ideas raised by the community in the engagement is
included as an appendix.
Tradeoffs:
Through the engagement, the community and
business leaders offered a number of ideas for
supporting both business and community in the
winter. There are, however, finite resources, and
each policy has an impact that requires an
understanding of tradeoffs. While this summary
report identifies tradeoffs related to the ideas
explored in the engagement, there may be
additional tradeoffs the City or ACRA need to
navigate as planning for winter moves forward.
A question about programmatic and policy
tradeoffs was included as part of the post-
engagement survey, asking:
“Programmatic or policy changes that
support economic vitality this winter may
include commerce, events, and dining in
parks, streets, or parking spaces. There
could also be Council priority changes that
prioritize the economy over other scheduled
goals. Please let us know below what you
are willing to accept.”
As of October 9th, the survey shows most
support for the use of parks for special uses
(80%) and street closures for business or events
(79%), and allowing use of parking spaces (71%).
Throughout the engagement efforts, the following tradeoffs were identified most often in the ideas generated and the
discussion:
1. Use of Outdoor Spaces. A number of ideas for the use of outdoor spaces came up in the engagement
process. This ranged from closing streets for activities, to using park spaces for events or a place to enjoy
take-out. The use of parks spaces in the winter will have impacts into the spring and summer, including
landscaping health that could require additional time for revegetation. These tradeoffs were identified most
often in the post survey as ones respondents would be willing to make.
2. Cutting red tape. A theme in the engagement involved reducing government “red tape” in the form of
expedited permitting and use of city spaces. The City should balance the staff time related to quickly
approving projects while ensuring life safety requirements are met, with other city goals. Staff has limited
capacity, so this tradeoff is about managing expectations for other priorities that may not be met as quickly.
Other ideas came up related to extension of construction hours and dates, which could have impacts related
to construction noise.
Community Survey Results:
Prioritization preferences
47
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3. Balancing community values. The engagement generated creative ideas about the use of HOV lanes for
hotel shuttles or other shuttles that have reduced capacity to maintain social distancing. This would require
intervention from the State and may be counter to the community policies that established them.
Additionally, a number of comments throughout the engagement focused on ensuring additional outdoor use
should focus on existing Aspen businesses, rather than allowing pop-up businesses. Finally, there were
some comments related to the energy use that can be needed to heat tent spaces, indicating that multiple
perspectives and considerations should be considered.
4. Use of parking spaces. A common theme in the engagement was to use some parking spaces for
commercial activities – whether for curb-side pickup for restaurant and retail operations or for extended
business activities. The use of parking spaces for things other than parking is occurring throughout the
country to expand pedestrian networks or for businesses. This will result in less parking for vehicles, and
this tradeoff should be considered.
Overall Themes:
Five key themes emerged from the engagement process. These included:
1. Consistency in communication. Overall communication about requirements, limitations, and opportunities
was identified as a critical need in this uncertain time. With state regulations changing, and different
requirements for different business types, a focus on clear real-time communication is important moving
forward. Additional ideas for creative communication came up throughout the engagement, including:
• Locals spotlight on City of Aspen and ACRA social media. This idea would show support and
gratitude for the different businesses and individuals in the community, and could be a way to
promote additional connections.
• Support public health messaging. Ideas included supporting mask wearing by providing free
masks at the airport and at ACRA kiosks, continuing the branded messaging about maintaining 6-
feet of distance, and coordinating communication between governmental entities.
2. Increased testing. While this is not necessarily an item the City or ACRA can control, there was strong
support for increased testing capacity, including for visitors to ensure community spread is minimized.
Support for temperature monitors in public buildings and throughout town were also identified multiple times
in the engagement.
3. Use of parks spaces. Nearly every group in the town halls, and many comments in the survey showed
support for parks to be utilized and programmed this winter. This included the use of Wagner Park as a
place for a take-out dining area. Other ideas included using the golf course for expanded outdoor recreation
opportunities, and continuing winter trail maintenance as long as possible to enable continued winter use.
4. Use of public right-of-way. There was interest from the community to utilize streets and parking areas for
events and business activity. Ideas included spaces for restaurant waiting areas, curb-side pick-up areas,
and organized celebration of winter events using the streets, much like Winterskol.
5. Promote sense of community and volunteerism. A commonality throughout the feedback was creating
opportunities for community members to be involved in helping one another. This came up in ideas ranging
from creating programs to connect seniors and kids through online story time, to identifying opportunities for
restaurants and non-food businesses to partner, to ACRA or others promoting the season of giving for non-
profits.
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Appendix:
Exhibit A: Idea Generation Summary
Exhibit B: Pre-Survey Results
Exhibit C: Post-Survey Results (through Thursday October 8, 2020)
Exhibit D: Existing Conditions Summary
49
Exhibit AAspen COVID-19 Community Engagement
Idea Generation Summary
Public Health Related Ideas
•Enhancing communication with guests through lodges and innovative ideas like the graphics in the town.
•Rapid and easy COVID testing, more tests, temperature readers, and Contact tracing
•Mask extension beyond November
•Airlines doing spaced seating
•Encourage use of state and county dashboards related to COVID-19 tracking, factors, exposure, etc.
•Promote mental health resources, and ensure broad access throughout the community
•Continue and expand online health resources, such as the Kids First parenting series
•Provide free masks to the community and visitors
Capacity Related Ideas
•Reimagining outdoor spaces for public use
•Use of outdoor spaces (streets and parking spaces) for business queuing
•Expanding indoor capacity
•Outdoor sheltered areas, tents, domes, and yurts
•Heaters, fire spaces, or fire pits to create warmth when outside
•Extending operations for last calls beyond 11pm
•Allow food carts or satellite spaces for restaurants throughout town to create additional to go food options
and reduce grouping.
•Support childcare to increase capacity either through use of outdoor spaces or larger indoor areas (Yellow
Brick gym, Aspen Ice Garden)
Regulation and Maintenance Related Ideas
•Relaxing rules in the ROW to allow for the expansion of outdoor seating areas and public spaces
•Flexibility in codes (Parking, Temporary structures, ROW)
•Shutting down streets temporarily to car traffic
•Expedited review for temporary structures
•Reduced permitting fees for improvements that might require a building permit to use outdoor space
•Extended construction hours and dates
•Continues snow removal, and addressing slip and fall potential for events held in public spaces
•Continued winter trail maintenance
•Tax incentives for landlords to lower rents
•Require or incentivize restaurants to use compostable to go containers
•Enable rent forgiveness or payback options for affordable housing units
Partnership and Online Related Ideas
•Create a centralized location for ACRA, City, or County to provide up to date information on what services
are available and what rules and procedures might be required
•Create an Aspen app that shows all businesses, their hours, any occupancy restrictions, etc
•Pair restaurants with other businesses, enabling tasting and drinks to be consumed while customers are
waiting to enter a retail or service business
•Promoting online offerings, services, shopping, deliveries
•Promoting business partnerships (maybe that can help provide tents for some businesses)
•Promote locals through social media campaign, such as the faces of aspen campaign
•Recognition by media, ACRA, and government for businesses that adhere to safety rules
50
• Outdoor Consumer Activities
• Working with real estate to understand trends
• Investing in marketing, advertising, and campaigns
• Using Aspen Ice Garden or other large indoor space for socially-distanced shopping or events
• Continue rent relief programs and gift card voucher programs
• Create incentives for down weeks (vouchers, love a local campaign, etc)
• Support the season of giving to non-profits through a coordinated marketing campaign and partnerships
Recreation and Events Related Ideas
• Online events from local arts and non-profits groups (such as Aspen Film)
• Night-time skiing
• Family-oriented events
• Youth friendly activities, and activities where alcohol isn’t the norm
• Foods stalls, farmers market, and fun outdoor events in parks, streets, etc.
• Ice Hockey and public skating rink
• Library Community Reading program, including pairing preschoolers and seniors
• Creating alternatives for outdoor activities (volunteer opportunities)
• New-Orleans style street fair
• Space out events, creating more matinee opportunities
Transportation Related Ideas
• Direct buses to venues
• Use of HOA lane for shuttles to get lower occupancy shuttles into town faster
• Charge RVs for overnight parking
• Establish a city-based food and retail delivery system that businesses can use
51
Pre-M eeting Survey
SURVEY RESPONSE REPORT
14 June 2016 - 30 September 2020
PROJECT NAME:
Virtual Town Hall Meeting - COVID-19 Winter Planning
52
SURVEY QUESTIONS
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Q1 How do you identify? (Check all that apply)
240
240
59
59
45
45
29
29
11
11
Aspen Resident Valley Resident Aspen Business Owner Second Homeowner Other (please specify)
Question options
25
50
75
100
125
150
175
200
225
250
275
Optional question (334 response(s), 0 skipped)
Question type: Checkbox Question
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Q2 Select the industry that best fits your work
91
91
31
31
29
29
24
24 28
28
17
17
30
30
25
25
2
2
57
57
Service (business, marketing, communications, design, personal services, etc.)Construction/Development/Real Estate
Finance Lodging Restaurant Retail Non-Profit Government Student Not working
Question options
10
20
30
40
50
60
70
80
90
100
Optional question (334 response(s), 0 skipped)
Question type: Checkbox Question
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Q3 How do you feel about the summer season in Aspen with reference to business and the
economy?
36
36
119
119
85
85
77
77
7
7
Poor
Below Average
Average
Above Average
Excellent
Question options
100 200 300 400
Select one
Optional question (324 response(s), 10 skipped)
Question type: Likert Question
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Q3 How do you feel about the summer season in Aspen with reference to
business and the economy?
Select one
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Excellent : 36
Above Average : 119
Average : 85
Below Average : 77
Poor : 7
10 20 30 40 50 60 70 80 90 100 110 120 130
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Q4 How do you feel about the summer season in Aspen with reference to health and safety?
35
35
77
77
101
101
83
83
31
31
Poor
Below Average
Average
Above Average
Excellent
Question options
100 200 300 400
Select one
Optional question (327 response(s), 7 skipped)
Question type: Likert Question
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Q4 How do you feel about the summer season in Aspen with reference to
health and safety?
Select one
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Q5 If you want to explain more about your response to health and safety or the economy
above, please tell us why you chose your rankings.
Excellent : 35
Above Average : 77
Average : 101
Below Average : 83
Poor : 31
10 20 30 40 50 60 70 80 90 100 110
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Anonymous
9/16/2020 02:42 PM
There was no balance. We didn’t go downtown all summer for restaurants or
shopping. Too many visitors! Mask compliance was not enforced (especially
at beginning of summer), guests were rude and the happiness/desires of the
local people were not taken into account. We all quarantined for months and
then the City of Aspen threw open the doors - With no quarantine for visitors
or COVID testing, the message was “sick it up locals” we will sell out the
entire community for an economy that does not need above average yields in
one pandemic summer. And $500k to market Aspwn? Completely
unnecessary. In terms Of health, As Aspen goes (or falls) so does the entire
valley and I have little confidence the health and safety of local valley
residents will ever play into decision making if it is opposition with the bottom
line.
Anonymous
9/16/2020 03:19 PM
The steps taken to enable businesses to operate in unconventional manners
was crucial. This kind of thinking is what makes Aspen great. We need to
keep this momentum of thinking outside the box to help our businesses stay
in business, no matter what it takes.
Anonymous
9/16/2020 11:04 PM
Overall compliance by guests and businesses of the health order seemed
pretty good to me.
Anonymous
9/17/2020 04:03 AM
Too many people now wearing masks in town
Anonymous
9/17/2020 05:58 AM
Aspen needs to be open, people need to be working, businesses need the
ability to pay rent, employees and thrive
Anonymous
9/17/2020 07:08 AM
Summer tourism way too high.
Anonymous
9/17/2020 07:15 AM
Tables were too close together and mask wearing was not enforced. Also,
there should be mandatory quarantine upon arrival or requirement of a
COVID negative test.
BrandNewDay
9/17/2020 07:26 AM
We felt safe in town and dining outside. So “above average “ would be the
rating for comparing this summer in Aspen to other cities this summer.
Anonymous
9/17/2020 07:39 AM
City took too long to implement programs such as mandatory masks when
they existed elsewhere. Expanding outdoor seating was a good idea and
helpful. Enforcement was minimal initially. Rent relief too complicated and
excluded locally owned chain stores who were unfairly penalized. City tried to
correct that in the loan program when it should have fixed the grant too.
Alcohol curfew was a good idea but needed to eliminate the loopholes of
service after curfew.
Anonymous
9/17/2020 07:43 AM
many people and businesses did not follow guidelines . Traffic was very
dangerous and laws were not really enforced . town was a mess
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Anonymous
9/17/2020 08:13 AM
In my experience, we had to work so much harder. The majority of our return
guest did not come, stays were shorter, guest resisted wearing masks and
our staff was working harder than ever with not as many tips,. I did not feel
we could give the one on one experience to the guest, so all the first time
Aspen guest are leaving I do not believe will have had as good of a time due
to the lack of personal contact.
Anonymous
9/17/2020 08:28 AM
We’ve had extremely minimal impact on our local population with the virus.
Anonymous
9/17/2020 08:40 AM
I do not feel like we as residents, had access to true COVID numbers.
Visitors from out of state were not reported in our community, even though
they were in it and infected, so it was hard to understand if we were in
danger or not.
Anonymous
9/17/2020 09:15 AM
Doing well but still people are walking around with no masks and the virus is
spiking----someone needs to have authorities mandating this more
Anonymous
9/17/2020 09:16 AM
It’s not healthy to wear all the time and during physical activity.
Anonymous
9/17/2020 09:21 AM
I do not believe mandatory masks should be required outside. I do not
believe business hours should be reduced.
Anonymous
9/17/2020 09:25 AM
Panic among our civic "leaders" inflicted unwarranted suffering on our
community.
Anonymous
9/17/2020 09:27 AM
There has been no enforcement on masks outside of businesses.... Those
focused on issuing parking tickets should be spending a majority of their time
on this
Anonymous
9/17/2020 09:27 AM
I felt there was a lot of arguing about masks by the public in my
establishment. Not enough consequences for tourists.
Anonymous
9/17/2020 09:28 AM
We risked safety for business / revenue.
Anonymous
9/17/2020 09:28 AM
Too many people are not wearing masks and not adhering to social distance
rules. It’s infuriating how some people just don’t want to believe the science.
Anonymous
9/17/2020 09:29 AM
So many small businesses were working very hard to maintain safety
measures within their spaces, but the general influx of visitors was
overwhelming at points. Juggling the need to make money, manage crowds
appropriately in regards to COVID guidelines, and keeping our staff safe and
healthy was the perfect stress storm. While Aspen being busy is usually a
joyful occurrence, pressure from the city and rumors that businesses were
being shut down created undue stress (summer in Aspen can already be
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stressful!)
Anonymous
9/17/2020 09:29 AM
The summer season was undoubtedly different and challenging, but honestly,
I enjoyed having more time at home and less visitors. As a mother of 3
children, I feel like the coronavirus needs to run its course, those at risk stay
home, and let the rest of us get back to living our lives among many viruses
and diseases we are exposed to everyday.
Anonymous
9/17/2020 09:31 AM
I make it a point not to come to Aspen if I don't have to. Way too many
people, people ignoring the mask order, eating way too closely to me,
partying on Instagram, etc. Frankly, I think SkiCo and ACRA share the blame
of promoting events/a vacation here like things are normal. They're not. Your
primary priority should be to keep local hardworking residents safe, not to
make money off of narcissistic tourists from Texas.
Anonymous
9/17/2020 09:31 AM
Too many without masks congregating around outdoor restaurants.
Anonymous
9/17/2020 09:32 AM
Governmental overreached directly tied to political aspirations.
Anonymous
9/17/2020 09:33 AM
It took a long time for mandatory mask wearing. Also it is not enforced.
Anonymous
9/17/2020 09:36 AM
I believe the spacing and outdoor dining was a great success. Not the
county's fault but mandatory last call and closures for fine dining restaurants
(steakhouse, case case) should not be lumped in with booties, erics, esco
style bars. Additionally, mandatory mask laws were a put in place to allow the
hospitals to catch up, technologically speaking, to care for patients and an
outbreak. The mandatory mask law is just delaying the heard immunity and
pushing back an outbreak to a later time
Anonymous
9/17/2020 09:39 AM
The addition of a mandatory mask zone, in the core, made me feel much,
much better about spending time in the core. This was especially true once
the tourists arrived in large numbers (post Memorial Day). Even though I live
in the core, I avoided Wagner Park/pedestrian mall area in late June/early
July because of the crowding and lack of mask wearing.
Anonymous
9/17/2020 09:39 AM
Regarding the economy, obviously the restaurants and many retail shops
had a tough summer. However real estate sales were booming as was the
construction business. So, it was a mixed bag. It was also unfortunate that
the local artists were not able to participate in the Farmer's Market. The city
did a good job preventing the spread of the virus & mandating that face
masks must be worn, although I saw a significant number of people who
were not wearing face masks. I would also like to compliment the people
working at the Gondola for insuring that it was safe to ride.
Anonymous
9/17/2020 09:39 AM
The locals were careful but the tourists were
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Anonymous
9/17/2020 09:39 AM
Mask compliance was excellent, especially by August 1. We were there July
15-August 15th and a noticeable difference the last two weeks with
enforcement.
Anonymous
9/17/2020 09:39 AM
I felt the Community's response to COVID was appropriate & being in Aspen
one could feel safe & still enjoy their visit. I felt the outside dining was
excellent & well done. I was surprised at the number of visitors & how active
the real estate/development/construction sector was.
Anonymous
9/17/2020 09:41 AM
I think for most of us we were pleased and surprised with the amount of
guests that were in town. I feel sorry for the restaurants trying to make it
under the conditions they faced. That was probably the most challenged
sector. I know that we had very few issues with the enforcement of the mask
mandate. It took awhile to get everyone on board. It could have been
expedited with more aggressive early enforcement.
Anonymous
9/17/2020 09:43 AM
The early part of the summer was scary with so many visitors from pandemic
hot spots refusing to wear masks or social distance. While it did get better
over the summer months, it generated a lot of unease in the lodging
community.
Anonymous
9/17/2020 09:44 AM
I believe it exceeded all expectations in both.
Anonymous
9/17/2020 09:44 AM
It took you too long to enforce masks. Wearing masks is still not enforce.
People walking around without them and nobody does anything about it.
Cover your noses! It should be mandatory everywhere, not only in downtown
Anonymous
9/17/2020 09:44 AM
Everything was open, town was crowded with tourists, restaurants had tables
a few inches from people walking by in sidewalk, spacing did not follow
guidelines (Aquilina, Jing for example), and town did not feel safe with people
not wearing masks more often than not.
Anonymous
9/17/2020 09:48 AM
I think the precautions put on Aspen residents were entirely too strict and
infringed on our individual rights. I did not feel in anyway safer this summer,
in fact it was the opposite.
Anonymous
9/17/2020 09:48 AM
Let’s get over this COVID thing. Other states are back to normal. Quit with
the masks, open stuff back up.
Anonymous
9/17/2020 09:50 AM
It's time to get rid of the masks outside!!!!!
Anonymous
9/17/2020 09:51 AM
I wish that masks were required on the narrow hiking trails and everywhere
in Aspen. We spent a lot of the summer dodging big groups of tourists who
were not wearing masks, and it has become exhausting.
Anonymous
9/17/2020 09:52 AM
I have very little concern about becoming sick.
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Anonymous
9/17/2020 09:52 AM
City should have required masks earlier in the season. Indecision kills. We
Need community monitors on streets asking people to raise or wear masks. I
saw two at 9am the first morning but have not seen a person with that job the
entire rest of the summer.
Anonymous
9/17/2020 09:53 AM
Still feel like enforcement of COVID protocols could be improved. The rules
are only as good as their enforcement.
Anonymous
9/17/2020 09:54 AM
We were expecting below average numbers with limited dining capacity, and
bars being closed, but we actually had a very good season down 3% in M&C
and 30% in Hooch. We were expecting reveneus to be down around 50%.
Anonymous
9/17/2020 09:54 AM
Once the expectations were clearly (and finally) set about masks NOT being
optional inside buildings, things were better and easier for everyone.
Anonymous
9/17/2020 09:57 AM
terrible testing regime. NYC anytime no doctors order needed.
Anonymous
9/17/2020 09:57 AM
It seemed that Aspen had a more vibrant summer season than was expected
when COVID first appeared. However, many of our visitors showed poor
adherence to safety protocols and town government seemed reluctant to
confront unsafe behaviors.
Anonymous
9/17/2020 10:02 AM
We lost several store fronts and restaurants; that is never good. The City and
Public Health Department were too wish washy about mask wearing.
Anonymous
9/17/2020 10:10 AM
COVID-19 is serious and it took the council way too long to impose a mask
mandate.
Anonymous
9/17/2020 10:11 AM
Mask mandate came much too late, and enforcement is nonexistent
Anonymous
9/17/2020 10:21 AM
The local safety (not to mention the condition of trails and open space) was
compromised by visitors from less educated and responsible states (Texas,
Florida). Everyone local was great.
Anonymous
9/17/2020 10:30 AM
Mask rules were late and need to remain in force through the winter until the
COVID-19 threat no longer exists or is scientifically mitigated. Reduced
occupancy for bars and restaurants must continue
Anonymous
9/17/2020 10:32 AM
Unwarranted fear mongering!! Outside open air restrictions overdone!
Anonymous
9/17/2020 10:34 AM
While certain sectors of our economy are struggling due to government
restrictions, other industries have flourished well above normal numbers.
Anonymous
9/17/2020 10:34 AM
The Season’s beginning was not good. Tremendous non-compliance with
mask requirements, recommendations and enforcement. The mid-Season
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adjustments improved conditions to above average.
Anonymous
9/17/2020 10:37 AM
too few wearing mask and poor social distancing
Anonymous
9/17/2020 10:41 AM
Long delays and debates in making masks mandatory and complete lack of
enforcement by City, Aspen Police and County for safety measures in public,
restaurants and businesses, business reopening plans. There appears to be
minimal accountability and responsibility by these public and private entities
as the buck was passed around. The fall back of surveys and "education"
instead of common sense enforcement does not work in a pandemic and
won't work in the winter with more people in enclosed spaces.
Anonymous
9/17/2020 10:45 AM
Little to no enforcement of regulations. There was absolutely no incentive to
comply. For example: Creperie, packed shoulder to shoulder every day in
plain sight. Not one fine? Not told social distance? Just enjoying profits off of
endangering citizens and visitors.
Anonymous
9/17/2020 10:46 AM
We did what was needed for the public's health, It's time to let us begin the
process of getting ready for the winter
Anonymous
9/17/2020 10:48 AM
Too many people from out of state.
Anonymous
9/17/2020 10:58 AM
People seem to be unable to observe the mask, distancing and group size
mandates. This is including both residents and visitors.
Anonymous
9/17/2020 11:01 AM
I don’t feel enough was done to enforce quarantines or mask requirements
Anonymous
9/17/2020 11:01 AM
Economically our organization has been decimated. We are limping along but
able to proved about 1/3 of our services. However we are truly grateful that
by following Safety procedures we have not had any outbreaks in our
organization or amongst our clients.
Anonymous
9/17/2020 11:02 AM
I think you did a good job of balancing mandates, restrictions and
enforcement in a ridiculous political environment.
Anonymous
9/17/2020 11:04 AM
Poor enforcement of mandatory mask for Aspen core. If you look on main
street you can see that some businesses dont care about social distancing.
Anonymous
9/17/2020 11:05 AM
Mandatory mask zone should have been in place sooner, and enforced
better. Also, contract tracing "box it in" strategy doesn't work without
mandatory RAPID testing for everyone who gets contact traced. Testing
availability below par in general, and not efficient with required order from
doctors. Need more testing sites, testing options, and better turn around time.
Anonymous
9/17/2020 11:08 AM
I think the tables on Main Street look messy and it's concerning to walk so
close to people laughing and eating without masks outside in what together
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makes a group. I think businesses that have been good about having people
wear masks and that have been thoughtful about their health policies should
be rewarded. The businesses that provide health care and paid time off
should be highlighted. I think heading into winter there needs to be major
work done on indoor spaces to clean the air and that serious measures need
to be sponsored by the city. I think focus on education and retraining
programs would greatly benefit the community. I think caring for the
homeless that are here year round is important to community health.
Creating outdoor spaces for the winter is going to be important and please
please emphasis the look and character. I am worried that the winter will
bring with it increased risk to the community and the vulnerable. I think the
health team needs to implement mandatory testing for visitors to the
community.
Anonymous
9/17/2020 11:27 AM
I FELT ASPEN WAS SLOW IN MAKING PEOPLE WEAR MASKS FULL
TIME IN CORE. THE SHOULD HAVE ACTED QUICKER WITH MORE
CONFIDENCE.
Anonymous
9/17/2020 11:37 AM
Town was crowded with MANY people not wearing masks. PitCo public
health and City were slow to react and appear to be "gaming" the system in
favor of keeping restaurants open.
Anonymous
9/17/2020 11:52 AM
My business is not valley centric but related to international tourism. That
industry has been significantly impacted. Vis a vis safety, I strongly feel
visitors, both second homers and short term tourists ignored community
standards for safety and put my family and me at higher levels of risk than
need be. Local enforcement was a joke.
Anonymous
9/17/2020 12:04 PM
I think the mandatory mask ordinance was unnecessary and over the top.
Anonymous
9/17/2020 12:24 PM
question #3 ambiguous. for me personally the fewer tourists the better.
unfortunate it took a pandemic
Anonymous
9/17/2020 12:24 PM
Health and safety was compromised by not requiring masks earlier. The ten
minute rule for mask wearing outside until early August was ridiculous.
Aspen police should have been more aggressive in enforcing the mask rules
once adopted.
Anonymous
9/17/2020 12:25 PM
Today’s reality requires acknowledgment of our Covid predicament wherein
no painless solution exists. We must juggle the relative risks and harm to our
healthcare system, economy and public health in which the least bad choices
incur damage to all.
Anonymous
9/17/2020 12:30 PM
The coronavirus is a s**t show. The gyms and yoga studios are closed and I
don't feel comfortable going the grocery store. restaurants or other public
places.
Anonymous
9/17/2020 12:41 PM
from my perspective, my answer about business and the economy is mostly
based on the restaurant situation. They were unable to serve as many
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customers, so it is clear their revenue must be way down. As for health and
safety, I was/am never sure about who I might come close to (even outdoors
even though we are all wearing masks) who may have COVID so I didn't feel
as carefree about going anywhere as I used to.
Anonymous
9/17/2020 01:03 PM
Opened too soon...too many visitors and not being safe.....safe guidelines not
inforced
Anonymous
9/17/2020 01:16 PM
Too many tourists not social distancing
Anonymous
9/17/2020 01:21 PM
I believe there were many visitors to keep the economy above average but
visitors (and some local residents) still did not abide by health and safety
guidelines as evidenced by the uptick in Covid cases.
Anonymous
9/17/2020 01:31 PM
We were kept at home for March, April, and May...and most of us followed
orders.....but as soon as the "tourist season" started town was extremely
busy and most were not wearing masks because no one would enforce that
until half way thru the summer. Showed to us locals that business was more
important than health to the city.
kasabachj
9/17/2020 01:50 PM
Altho everyone does not follow the rules....once the "city" got it....they began
to properly advertise what they were
Anonymous
9/17/2020 02:12 PM
City and County both over-reacted with imposing mask mandates.
Anonymous
9/17/2020 02:21 PM
it took too long to mandate masks, it needed to be done earlier and for a
larger area... the crowds of visitors in open spaces without masks prevented
me from hiking and walking due to their lack of consideration for 6 feet
distancing...
Anonymous
9/17/2020 02:50 PM
There is a lack of leadership in progressing our health and safety systems.
We have stagnated on the first draft: masks and social distancing. The testing
situation is abysmal, and we should be innovating now to prepare for our
cold-weather season.
Anonymous
9/17/2020 02:56 PM
The economy appeared better than anticipated as we are in a pandemic, and
it seemed like nothing was amiss whenever I was in town, except for all of
the events were cancelled. When the mask ordinance came into effect I saw
more people wearing masks.
Anonymous
9/17/2020 03:04 PM
Masks outside are not necessary and not supported by science. It makes no
sense to walk through many tables of unmasked people while wearing a
mask. Please limit government actions to legitimate scientifically based rules.
mcatamney
9/17/2020 03:15 PM
town seemed vibrant and busy, and we felt very safe wherever we went
Anonymous I was happy to see businesses open back up, people need to work and make
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9/17/2020 03:08 PM a living. the shut down had more negative effects than positive. I know
several small businesses that closed for ever. ):
Anonymous
9/17/2020 03:24 PM
It’s hard to say health and safety were average or better during a pandemic.
And while I think Aspen’s pandemic related rules and laws were very good
there were still plenty of people (assholes) disregarding them.
Anonymous
9/17/2020 03:31 PM
I am retired and only go to the City Market Grocery,/prescription, and Church.
So my comment has been determined by those who volunteer @City
Kiosk/work in shops, and The Aspen Times.
Anonymous
9/17/2020 04:25 PM
Town was absolutely bustling with people, and the economy seemed healthy.
I'm not a business owner so I can't speak to it directly. I think the Mask Zone
has helped tremendously with health and safety, or at least with perceived
health and safety. If possible, I think the mask zone should be implemented
through the winter. It sends the message to visitors that we are taking covid
seriously; I would like to think the mask zone sends a broader message than
just 'wear your mask in this area', but also 'use caution in this town in
general'.
Anonymous
9/17/2020 04:43 PM
Late follow-up and enforcement for non-compliant businesses.
joancvalentine
9/17/2020 05:06 PM
Pitkin County health department has not done enough to supply testing for
Virus of Covid19 in order to insure our safety. Tests are not readily available
unless you have strong symptoms and they are not free of charge. They do
not enforce the health orders in a timely manner. It takes several points of
contact before they take measures to stop businesses and individuals who
violate health orders. This is a blatant disregard for their role in protecting the
public.
Anonymous
9/17/2020 05:33 PM
no masks on rio grande trail
Anonymous
9/17/2020 05:54 PM
My job is to oversee 350 residential condos available for short term rentals.
Our number one goal this provide a safe place for our employees to work
where guest and owners can come to vacation. We believe minimizing
contact with travels is critical to keeping the community open. Mask wearing
and minimizing location that will gather are important steps.
Anonymous
9/17/2020 06:18 PM
too many people without masks or social distancing
Buffs
9/17/2020 06:27 PM
Disgusting the police did not not enforce mask requirements.
Anonymous
9/17/2020 06:30 PM
The outdoor mask mandate was (is) totally unnecessary. It was the result of
City Council thinking the need to do something, anything, regardless of
science in covid transmission. Otherwise everyone except Bootsy Bellows did
well despite the surge in visitors. Hopefully Bootsy will be permanently shut
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now.
Anonymous
9/17/2020 07:38 PM
The COVID regulations are excessive, esp re restaurants, bars, and retail.
Fewer than 1 in 10,000 ppl have died due to COVID and 95% of these were
already in poor health, but all of us were restricted and affected by the
economic impact. Only two people have died in Pitkin County due to COVID,
both in March. We need to stop overreacting. The hysteria is worse than the
virus itself. I am a hostage to the control freaks. We need to return to our
previous business operations now and use common sense.
Anonymous
9/17/2020 07:49 PM
I feel that the city and county did an excellent job communicating health and
safety guidelines and face mask mandates. My average ranking is based on
the number of people who did not abide to them. In my opinion it was
primarily tourists both downtown and on hiking trails. My response to
business and economy is based on fact that restaurants need to be at 50%
capacity which I totally understand and agree with given the pandemic. I have
no knowledge re sales for retail stores.
Anonymous
9/17/2020 09:07 PM
We have all kinds of rules and regs, but virtually no enforcements, presence
on the street. We need walking patrols to educate people and enforce the
law. Not cops, health workers. We can afford it.
Anonymous
9/17/2020 09:11 PM
Fueling the economy superseded the wellbeing of our local community. This
is unfortunate.
Anonymous
9/17/2020 09:22 PM
pandemic, smokey.drought. little clean air , little clean water ,
Anonymous
9/17/2020 09:43 PM
Over crowded, no enforcement of public health regulations as many people
did not wear masks. Enforcement would be helpful.
Anonymous
9/17/2020 09:56 PM
Mandated masks too late. Made valley residence feel like it wasn’t safe to
come get dinner up valley
Anonymous
9/18/2020 01:09 AM
Trash the mask!! We need antibodies, always.
cdesanzo
9/18/2020 05:15 AM
We are killing our businesses with all the rules.
Anonymous
9/18/2020 06:07 AM
The influx of people/tourists escaping from cities was unrestricted and
introduced so many opportunities for Covid introduction and spread into the
community
Anonymous
9/18/2020 06:38 AM
Got so annoyed at the lack of proper mask wearing, especially once the
mask zone was put in place. Just not enough enforcement, especially in the
evening.
Anonymous No bars, limited capacity, late on enforcrment
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9/18/2020 07:51 AM
Anonymous
9/18/2020 08:13 AM
questions 3 & 4 do not make much sense. How do I FEEL??? We have lots
of summer business and business is really good for real estate brokers. We
take all safety precautions. We appreciate all of the visitors to Aspen this
summer and all of the safety precautions in place. Some should have started
much sooner, such as mandates to wear masks.
Anonymous
9/18/2020 09:55 AM
The fact that there was no mask ordinance until the end of July, despite clear
evidence for many months that it was a critical part of preventing COVID
infections, was egregious.
Anonymous
9/18/2020 09:55 AM
Would be helpful if the questions (#4 especially) specified a reference point.
Average with respect to previous summers? With respect to other
communities this pandemic year? Likewise in Question 7 below, the
questions are unclear. For example, am I concerned that event sizes will be
restricted--or not be restricted? Am I worried that businesses won't be able
operate or will continue to operate in public spaces?
Anonymous
9/18/2020 10:19 AM
City got on board and it helped. It is not just setting a guide it is then
implementing it & following through.
Anonymous
9/18/2020 01:05 PM
Bring back the quiet days. Too much entertainment during a time when we
should have had our schools and kids as #1 priority.
Anonymous
9/18/2020 01:19 PM
There were too many people
Anonymous
9/18/2020 03:53 PM
I work in a downtown restaurant. there were alot of people who did not want
to wear masks or social distance.
Anonymous
9/18/2020 05:10 PM
There are still some people who refuse to wear masks and/or wearing them
improperly
Anonymous
9/18/2020 08:20 PM
Allowing all the visitors from mainly hot spots of the country, with no required
14 day quarantine, is doing no favors to the residents. Seems money is the
most important driver for decisions. The designated mask zone, while better,
was too little too late. If you implement a law, you need to make sure
everyone knows it applies to them, via enforcement, fines and not just
education. Also, I am tired of the need to go into a retail operation, and both
staff and customers are half assed about the masks - it needs to cover their
nose and mouth at all times, I entered a store today, for second time in 3
months, and again employees were mask-less or half assed masks. I was in
a down valley grocery store for my monthly grocery store visit last night, and
the tourists even down valley, think they are special even with their small RV
parked in lot and that they don't need to fully cover mouth and nose.
Employees didn't say a word and the previous door "guards" were no longer
manning the doors for compliance. This is now known to be spread primarily
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through the the air, via various sized aerosols. Once everybody starts eating
and drinking and hanging indoors as cold weather sets in, we are in for
another period of increasing cases - especially from air travelers from the hot
spots, or those exposed to them on an airplane. Especially with nor
quarantine time required, and enforced - like in Hawaii, Australia etc. But I
guess their visitors are not as special as Aspen's are. Yes, we are all getting
tired of it all, but everyone needs to get over it as it is probably at least a year
before a portion of the population has received successful vaccines. I expect
the Council (as well as ACRA if they want to get any $$ from the city) to
make decisions and implement laws with all its citizens in mind - not just
those in the service industry and the well off tourists that support them. I
would give you a C- at this point (and that's being generous - think a D is
more appropriate) on thinking and protecting all its citizens 1st!!!!!!!!!! Not just
the business owners and they employees they bring in from way down valley.
Not just the virus, but the traffic, noise and etc were almost unbearable this
summer. No peace from May through------ Was a shock after being able to
wake up to birds singing and chirping, instead of traffic, loud people and of
course - the noise of the construction sites. PS - also please start enforcing
your no parking signed areas - alleys and streets. Again, there are just a
special few that can't seem to get it. Mitch has been better for the flagrant
violators, but isn't consistent across the board.
Anonymous
9/18/2020 10:08 PM
I work in health care. My work is busy all the time. I stayed really busy. As far
as COVID, this summer turned out ok, I continue to worry about likely
worsening this fall and winter.
Anonymous
9/19/2020 09:22 AM
Simply too many people
Anonymous
9/19/2020 10:26 AM
I saw MANY people not wearing masks in the zone, I saw Zero enforcement
of mask wearing. I am STILL seeing no masks on trails where people are
closer than 6 feet.
Anonymous
9/19/2020 02:54 PM
Aspen City Council did a poor job of managing this crisis. Mandatory masks
outside? How much does fear drive your decisions? Leaders aren't lead by
fear. This city was very poorly managed from the start of the lockdown.
Anonymous
9/19/2020 05:59 PM
Inconsistent messaging about masks until local ordinance was passed. In
addition, very little visible enforcement. Areas around town were social
distancing was not being practiced.
Anonymous
9/20/2020 07:41 AM
I felt town was extremely busy but the six feet distance is most restaurants
was more like three feet of you are lucky and it seemed like only the locals
were wearing masks.
Anonymous
9/20/2020 07:49 AM
Many good rules were put in place but the level of of compliance was poor.
Where was the enforcement?
Anonymous
9/20/2020 08:13 AM
I am very disappointed that it took until July 31 to implement a mask mandate
for downtown Aspen, especially considering that Aspen was a "hot spot" in
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early March. It was irresponsible of government to delay so long in
implementing one, and the lack of a mandate injured people who caught
Covid, as well as hurting local businesses. Compliance is ok, but enforcement
is still lacking.
Anonymous
9/20/2020 08:46 AM
It took some time for the mask zone to be initiated and for both locals and
visitors to understand social distancing rules.
Anonymous
9/20/2020 02:16 PM
Very busy all around but excellent to see how responsive business owners
were with social distancing protocols and holding their patrons accountable.
Anonymous
9/20/2020 09:38 PM
The mandatory mask zone is a waste of time, energy and resources. It is
also creating more waste to pollute our valley with. I live and work in this
zone and see countless people not wearing a mask. This is frustrating and
discouraging to those of us trying to comply. I have seen people pulling up
stickers and tearing down signs. There is no enforcement of this regulation
and not enough manpower to control the revolt.
Anonymous
9/20/2020 11:04 PM
I believe that the City of Aspen and Pitkin County has lost the trust of its
citizenry due to two factors: 1. Lack of transparency in regard to to Covid
cases. It took investigative reporting from AspenJournalism.org on August
31st to finally get Aspen/Pitkin County to count visitors and part-time
residents in its coronavirus statistics. Prior to the article, there was a strong
sense in the community that Aspen/Pitkin County was trying to downplay or
indeed cover up the actual number of cases. Unfortunately, this appears to
be the case. 2. Lack of Covid testing. Currently, one needs to either have
symptoms or have been exposed to someone with coronavirus in order to get
tested at AVH or Valley View Hospital. Visitors to Aspen who would like to
get tested proactively (and responsibly) are unable to do so. Aspen/Pitkin
County needs to make testing much more widely available, as is done in
many cities, for public safety. It's easy to lose the trust of citizens and hard to
win it back. Aspen and Pitkin County will need to continue to improve their
transparency when it comes to Coronavirus and make testing for Covid much
more accessible if we are to make it through the winter.
Anonymous
9/21/2020 09:56 AM
The issue of enforcement/ticketing on mask laws was pretty ridiculous. It felt
like the needs of tourists and the focus on making money definitely trumped
protecting the health of residents/maintenance and services workers in town.
We need a clear message on this and someone needs to take on the
responsibility of enforcement instead of all the infighting.
Penny
9/21/2020 10:26 AM
Outdoor dining was still very cramped. Indoor dining is not very safe. Still lots
of people walking around without masks on. Business employees not wearing
masks.
Anonymous
9/21/2020 11:30 AM
I have not and probably will not go to restaurants in Aspen as long as covid
is active in Aspen. If you go to Willits or Carbondale for instance, their
restaurants are set up for success. They used a lot of parking spaces to
expand their dining areas where Aspen really didn't. The Mi Chola corner and
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all the way up Main Street ....well.....I don't even use that sidewalk it's so
packed during dinner. I order take out to select restaurants however I think
Aspen can do a better job making the restaurants safer. People are not
distancing when waiting to enter a store to shop. Again I will not walk down
the sidewalk due to people packed on the sidewalk waiting and not wearing
masks. I have saved a lot of $ not shopping or eating in Aspen this summer. I
completely avoid all businesses and Aspen all together even on weekends.
Anonymous
9/21/2020 01:11 PM
We need to stop placing so much emphasis on virus counts and infection
rates. This county is way too conservative and needs to be more progressive
in moving forward whilst still living with the virus. We need to get back to as
close to normal as possible and while the council continues to listen to the
negative and conservative comments, we will never move forward! For the
sake of mental health and the economy we need to be more open to opening
up. Kids back to school, bars open, etc otherwise, we will continue to suffer
more than the virus itself. The ramifications of the solution are worse than the
virus.
Anonymous
9/21/2020 03:48 PM
My answer related to the COVID issue. We continue to have lots of issues
with masks and people not taking the problem seriously.
Bariramberg
9/21/2020 06:15 PM
The late mask mandate and poor enforcement, outdoor seating at
restaurants that is far from socially distant. Tourists that could not care less
about our community. Failure to be transparent with data (visitors that tested
positive). Lack of testing for anyone who wants a test like they do in other
states.
Anonymous
9/21/2020 05:35 PM
How well we responded
Anonymous
9/21/2020 08:27 PM
As a server I felt it was busier than I anticipated, but with significantly less
tables available for seating it was still not as busy as a normal summer
season. In regard to health safety, many people did not take the mask
ordinance seriously
Anonymous
9/22/2020 09:02 AM
I was surprised by how busy town still was despite the pandemic and safer at
home recommendations nationwide.
Anonymous
9/22/2020 09:52 AM
As it relates to the economy, it has certainly exceeded earlier expectations,
but falls well below prior summers thus the selection of below average.
Anonymous
9/22/2020 10:11 AM
The town never could have anticipated how busy the core would be. Even
outside in July, social distancing was impossible. Outside masks was
mandated too late. Now it’s quiet and we are wearing them outside.
Anonymous
9/22/2020 10:35 AM
Lack of events to cultivate new ideas
Anonymous Visitors came in numbers beyond our expectations, but those same visitors
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9/22/2020 10:37 AM did not behave with the same focus on safety as locals. This was evident in
downtown, public spaces, on hiking trails, and in parks.
Anonymous
9/22/2020 10:44 AM
business volumes were better than planned for us. tourists and locals were
not great at compliance with masks to start but got better
Anonymous
9/22/2020 10:52 AM
Constant chatter about several restaurants (generally the same 6 or 7) not
following guidelines: seating more than 8 ppl at a table, allowing bar seating,
no masks, no social distancing.
Anonymous
9/22/2020 01:20 PM
COVID 19 has created large constraints for the business community, making
business (private and public sector) an uphill battle. COVID has also raised
the risk to public health.
Boarderthom
9/22/2020 01:21 PM
Masks save lives. Masks save jobs. The police need to have a real presence
walking beats educating people without masks.
Anonymous
9/22/2020 04:17 PM
In the context of covid, summer was reasonable. Comparable to past
summer seasons, it was below average business wise. Socially/health wise,
summer was reasonable. The mask zone helped greatly, but too many talk
the talk but don't abide by the rules; a local business segment recently took
over a restaurant creating a private meeting w/o abiding by group rules or
even restaurant rules, many restaurants continue to disavow themselves of
responsibility for managing their guests with distancing, mask wearing,
behavior, etc. Local law enforcement refuses to cooperate with covid
restrictions even while they regularly perform nightly checks for social
disturbance or drug use in the same establishments. People regularly relate
their recent trips visiting extended family - if you extrapolate the many
participants multiplied by each adding the many exceptions for each - the
product is tremendous. People dine daily in restaurants w/ non-household
members w/o masks. It's simply not a serious approach to reaching a
resumption of normalcy. The bar nationally is set low, so it's easy to applaud
ourselves. I state this while appreciating the many challenges to improving.
AspenCityGovernmentIsOutOfC
ontrol
9/22/2020 05:15 PM
Decisions that are driven by ambition, political calculation and the pure
animal joy of controlling other people's lives may ultimately be ruled
unconstitutional.
Anonymous
9/22/2020 05:52 PM
Took too long to get the mask and social distancing situation buttoned up and
under control - this should have been better handled after Memorial Day and
it was not handled until after July 4th.
Anonymous
9/22/2020 06:02 PM
Health and safety was acceptable. I think the city council over-reacted. We
do not need to wear masks outside. There is no researched based science to
prove mask wearing does anything to help prevent the spread of Covid. It
was appalling to watch city council members make up science in order to get
their agenda passed. It was extremely disappointing that other city council
members sat by and didn't challenge the validity of the claims. Council
members created laws based on a survey that had a less than 10% response
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rate. There was not an effort to inform the community that this survey was
available, there was not an effort to get additional responses by community
members based on the poor response rate.
Anonymous
9/22/2020 06:38 PM
Once the mask zone went in place I was pleased to see people in the town
center using masks. But I was appalled to see how few people on trails and
bikes used masks when near others
Anonymous
9/22/2020 10:03 PM
Almost no one sick, no severe life threatening cases
Anonymous
9/23/2020 07:18 AM
Tourist often were not wearing masks and no enforcement to help keep
locals safe
Anonymous
9/23/2020 08:19 AM
Outdoor seating for restaurants and retail was AMAZING. The R4 expansion
worked and allowed Aspen to operate with more normalcy, allowing residents
and visitors to Safely enjoy the outdoors and support local businesses that
Aspen so unique.
Anonymous
9/23/2020 08:39 AM
Restaurant row was packed with tourist all summer so I never ate there.
Anonymous
9/23/2020 10:02 AM
With reference to business and the economy, town seemed packed with
visitors and many businesses, including real estate and restaurants, seemed
to be thriving. However, I answered "Below Average" because for arts non-
profits, business was not good, as we were forced to cancel all in-person
events.
Anonymous
9/24/2020 06:12 AM
i think masks outdoors are unnecessary
Anonymous
9/24/2020 07:01 AM
There is no real enforcement of mask rules.
Anonymous
9/24/2020 07:07 AM
There were and still are, too many people in town. The lack of enforcement
for the Public Health orders is discouraging. At this point in the pandemic I
believe top priority needs to be on getting our community’s children back into
schools. I do not want to see ACRA spending $1m To market more people to
town. We do not have the resources to manage 34 flights a day and keep the
virus at bay. It seems ACRA and the City only care about chasing money
than keeping the community safe.
Anonymous
9/24/2020 07:21 AM
I feel like the city did an excellent job of putting the proper rules and
regulations in place to keep people safe and as open as possible. The
limiting factor is people's behavior - whether or not they followed the rules.
Anonymous
9/24/2020 07:51 AM
We had a ton of people in the area this summer. It was unclear for a large
portion of the summer where masks were required. I think inside restaurants
and retail shops the rules were pretty clear, and generally obeyed. But
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waiting on the sidewalk for a table not in a mask hugging and chatting closely
with your friends who walked by kind of defeats the purpose.
Anonymous
9/24/2020 08:13 AM
Many people wear a mask dangling from their chin only and think they are in
compliance.
Anonymous
9/24/2020 08:18 AM
Good policies in place, poor policing and adherence to policies
Anonymous
9/24/2020 08:47 AM
Once aspen put into effect the wearing of mask outdoors also I felt the
community was safer. Please continue this practice
Anonymous
9/24/2020 10:10 AM
The mask mandate outside is a farce. There's no proof they do anything
outside (or inside). Fewer and fewer people are following the mandate. This
erodes the trust in local government.
Anonymous
9/24/2020 10:38 AM
Implementing and outdoor mask mandate in Aspen and Snowmass is too
constrictive. People come to the mountains to enjoy fresh air. Fresh air and
sunshine contribute to a positive mentality. Governor Polis has already
implemented the indoor public spaces mask mandate, which most people,
including me, DO NOT have an issue with. We have had too many people
take their lives due to the constrictive policies implemented by the Pitkin
county public health dept. They are completely out of touch with humanity.
Anonymous
9/24/2020 10:42 AM
I believe Aspen should be doing PR targeted at past and prospective visitors
during Covid on the success of the safety protocols that were created and
implemented this summer . There should be PR on the low positivity rate, the
teamwork between visitors and businesses to keep Aspen safe and its
residents and visitors healthy. Profiles of successful events (such as
weddings and biz conferences) family vacations - stronger together), the
teamwork between businesses and the Chamber , etc. This should be
showcased with travel writers, on winter travel and family blogs, with the use
of influencers, etc. Contact me as I live here four months a year but reside in
South Fla. and am the CEO of a large PR agency.
Anonymous
9/24/2020 11:00 AM
I am kind of guessing on #3 regarding the business. I just know that I have
only gone to stores that I absolutely need, like food, gas, pharmacy etc. I am
in support of strict rules. I am surprised to see that some people are still not
wearing a mask in the mask zones. I think that people and business, night
clubs especially should be severely fined if they do not apply to the rules. It is
not OK to play with other peoples health!!
Anonymous
9/24/2020 11:28 AM
It was over the top. Went to 15 states this summer Aspen was by far the
most ridiculous
Anonymous
9/24/2020 11:29 AM
Mental health, domestic abuse, child abuse and child mental health has
extremely suffered due to mandates and lockdown. That is ALSO SCIENCE!
Anonymous There needs to be ENFORCEMENT of the covid rules and regulations. What
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9/24/2020 12:53 PM good is the mandatory mask zone if there is no enforcement??
Anonymous
9/24/2020 01:16 PM
In general, while the City and County pretended to be working slowly and
methodically to protect the local population, decisions were made too quickly
and without the approval of the board of health that allowed for a worse
outcome in our community then we should have had. I think the mandatory
14 day quarantine for visitors was removed too quickly and not amended
properly to a more balanced measure. The allowance for hotel's occupancy
to reach 100% was moved too quickly. I think the mask ordinance was
implemented too late, when it had been discussed for some time and we had
the opportunity to be a leading example of it's type of implementation. And
giving $25 gift cards to visitors was not a worthwhile use of money for that
program. Visitors are already bound to spend money by being here; that
funding could have been redirected to a better need.
Sue Hopkinson
9/24/2020 03:55 PM
I avoided town due to all of the visitors not wearing masks or social
distancing
Anonymous
9/25/2020 12:11 AM
I’m not a big fan mandatory masks in town but am glad everything went well
and we stayed busy.
Anonymous
9/25/2020 08:30 PM
No need to mandate masks outside.
Anonymous
9/26/2020 10:39 AM
The business and tourism was much better than expected. But that also
brings in the COVID-19 by people who might not be as responsible for the
consideration of others, resulting in a higher health risk.
Anonymous
9/27/2020 09:36 AM
Town was very crowded and many people were unmasked. There was no
enforcement in the streets requiring proper use of masks
Anonymous
9/27/2020 09:37 AM
The city was slow to fix and implement mask wearing rules and then
completely failed to enforce its policies. The mask zone was a good idea but
those tasked with education and enforcement were nowhere to be seen.
Anonymous
9/28/2020 09:47 PM
I’m concerned about the many surges in cases we saw over the summer.
Numbers did not remain consistently low and while I understand how
important tourists are to the economy, I feel that a revolving door of short
term visitors has made it all but impossible to truly keep test positivity and
community spread under control. This is exacerbated by no real restrictions
on short term lodging capacity.
Anonymous
9/28/2020 09:48 PM
The mask mandate felt like overkill. The restrictions on the “flu” seem silly
Anonymous
9/29/2020 08:24 AM
Was pretty clear that profit was ahead of health. I thing is good to help
businesses but rules were not followed around town and that was very clear.
We need to be more vigilant about health concerns and violations.
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Anonymous
9/30/2020 01:16 PM
We need tests and quick results going into the winter.
skjdesign
9/30/2020 06:15 PM
health communication was not consistent
Optional question (187 response(s), 147 skipped)
Question type: Essay Question
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Q6 In your opinion, what worked well this summer? (Select all that apply)
238
238
150
150
173
173
33
33
215
215
113
113
100
100
28
28
Other (please specify)Gift card programs Rent Relief Grant Program Mandatory Mask Zone
ACRA membership grants Reduced capacity for events Reduced hours and mandatory capacity caps at businesses
Business operations in public spaces
Question options
25
50
75
100
125
150
175
200
225
250
Optional question (327 response(s), 7 skipped)
Question type: Checkbox Question
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Q7 What are you most concerned about as we transition to winter? (Select all that apply)
169
169
77
77
190
190
95
95
77
77 84
84
68
68
125
125
81
81
154
154
94
94
127
127
150
150
33
33
Other (please specify)Physical and mental health Managing school schedule or childcare access
Transportation issues/access Too many tourists Lack of tourists
Limited access to amenities, arts, culture, events, recreation facilities Lack of jobs Lack of workers
Lack of housing Restrictions on event size Expiration of the mandatory mask zone in November
Businesses operating in public spaces (streets or parking spaces)Businesses operating at reduced capacity
Question options
25
50
75
100
125
150
175
200
Optional question (332 response(s), 2 skipped)
Question type: Checkbox Question
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Q8 The City has considered a number of policy adjustments to address the economic
impacts from COVID this summer. Please select which of these you would support being
implemented this winter. (Select all that apply)
209
209
240
240
140
140 160
160
160
160
144
144
73
73
97
97
208
208
140
140
141
141
13
13 24
24
Other (please specify)I do not think any of these ideas should be implemented this winter Rent relief for businesses
Implement a winter farmers market for local businesses Extend the City’s mandatory mask zones through the winter
Expedited permit reviews for construction Allow construction to extend beyond normal dates/times
Expedited review of projects that use outdoor spaces Create space in city parks for people to eat to-go meals
Close certain streets for businesses to expand Allow retail businesses to use street or parking spaces
Allow restaurants to use streets or parking spaces for outdoor dining
Designate certain parking spaces as 15-minute to allow for curb-side pick-up
Question options
25
50
75
100
125
150
175
200
225
250
275
Optional question (329 response(s), 5 skipped)
Question type: Checkbox Question
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Anonymous
9/16/2020 02:42 PM
A healthy community is a successful community. Turn the focus away from
just making money for businesses by pumping in thousands of people and
think of the residents first.
Anonymous
9/16/2020 03:19 PM
Let the business/restaurant community come to YOU with ideas - they know
their business better than the city or anyone at the city does. Listen to them.
Their survival is the city's revenue stream.
Anonymous
9/16/2020 03:56 PM
Redirect affordable housing money to local businesses and vet the program
to get people out that don't deserve it, and get people in that do. Then take
the overage of stock and make them free market to give back to local
businesses.
Anonymous
9/16/2020 11:04 PM
Financial relief in the form of supporting rent and labor costs, not taking on
debt.
Anonymous
9/17/2020 04:56 AM
https://blog.nomorefakenews.com/2020/09/10/covid-diagnostic-test-worst-test-
ever-devised/ Article: “COVID diagnostic test: worst test ever devised? Sep
10 by Jon Rappoport” Article: “CoVID-19 Testing PCR – A Critical Appraisal”
https://childrenshealthdefense.org/news/covid-19-testing-pcr-a-critical-
appraisal/?
fbclid=IwAR2aO5VJZhmMqtv5X34FhbMwWJKYV6VHN3P25dEqF7IYLPl5Hy
potx0ddkc
Anonymous
9/17/2020 05:58 AM
Restaurants need full capacity, heated and covered outdoor seating Would
be great. Keep up the cleaning and create inside air quality. Masks
Anonymous
9/17/2020 07:08 AM
Support for arts organizations
Anonymous
9/17/2020 07:15 AM
Require quarantine for tourists or negative COVID test. Ramp up testing at
AVH. It is completely inadequate.
Anonymous
9/17/2020 07:43 AM
put our health first
Anonymous
9/17/2020 07:46 AM
Businesses need to be allowed to operate. I support travel restrictions on
states/cities that have a high number of cases, but don’t continue to restrict
the rest of us in our own town. We can make choices over our own lives
better than city council can. What example is set with city and county
government office still closed but businesses and schools are operating live.
Anonymous Maybe have some king of local contest to hand out mask that have Aspen on
Q9 What ideas do you have to help support businesses and the economy this winter?
Question type: Checkbox Question
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9/17/2020 08:13 AM them. something you can only get here from a local... they have to come in a
shop or stay at a hotel to get it?
Anonymous
9/17/2020 09:21 AM
Allow businesses to resume normal business practices, keep masks required
inside.
Anonymous
9/17/2020 09:25 AM
see above
Anonymous
9/17/2020 09:27 AM
Resturant’s are in a quandary about the winter season and have received no
direction from city and county regulatory officials...they can’t continue to pay
rent in the off season and then find they need to shut down...
Anonymous
9/17/2020 09:29 AM
DO NOT REQUIRE A BUILDING PERMIT FOR BUSINESSES THAT NEED
TO EXPAND OUTDOORS AND CREATE TEMPORARY STRUCTURES. I
got an email saying my proposed outdoor plan would require a building
permit, which I would have to PAY for! It is simply wrong for the city to profit
off of this. We are doing our best, scraping together resources and capital to
stay in business and offer the best experience for locals and visitors and to
put this extra bureaucratic process on business owners is absolute nonsense.
There are tons of towns that are supporting this strategy rather than creating
more burdens.
Anonymous
9/17/2020 09:29 AM
Take the $4 million of taxpayers money set aside for 1A developers to
support our local businesses and economy, and those who need work NOW.
Anonymous
9/17/2020 09:31 AM
Indoor food market with plenty of social distancing at Aspen Ice Garden.
Have hotels reduce overnight occupancy for tourists and open up their
common areas for food consumption. To go food options (breakfast tacos,
etc.) at kiosks on mountains outdoors so that none of the on mountain
restaurants have to function--sorry but there's no way I'm even setting foot in
Elk Camp.
Anonymous
9/17/2020 09:31 AM
Media recognition for businesses which adhere to safety rules to protect
community.
Anonymous
9/17/2020 09:32 AM
Allow patrons to go back to sitting at bar. We are adults here and can
manage ourselves, not like 3rd graders at elementary school
cathy crum
9/17/2020 10:15 AM
How can we see the bigger picture? This too will pass, how can we learn
patience? There’s a larger lesson-learning opportunity here - a spiritual one -
but nobody wants to go there because of their bottom lines. Maybe offer
spiritual counseling along with short-term, no-interest loans???
Anonymous
9/17/2020 09:36 AM
I believe the mandatory mask law needs to end with the summer.
Anonymous
9/17/2020 09:39 AM
The items checked in response to # 8 would be of benefit to local
businesses.
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Anonymous
9/17/2020 09:39 AM
I would love to support restaurants but will not eat inside!
Anonymous
9/17/2020 09:39 AM
Assisting the Ski Company any way the City & County can. Assisting
restaurants & other retail businesses by using public spaces & parking
spaces. Continue allowing free parking outside the downtown core. Increase
RFTA bus service back to normal levels as much as possible.
Anonymous
9/17/2020 09:41 AM
We all must provide excellent guest service to insure that people want to
return to Aspen.
Anonymous
9/17/2020 09:44 AM
We need to keep businesses open to generate tax revenues, the use of
masks and social distancing should help if we don’t have a vaccine or cure,
remember that winters her are long.
Anonymous
9/17/2020 09:47 AM
Encourage use of Exposure Notification:
https://covid19.colorado.gov/Exposure-notifications
Anonymous
9/17/2020 09:48 AM
Stop making COVID political and allow Aspen to be an open community and
economy. This has been proven to be successful in many areas around the
world.
Anonymous
9/17/2020 09:48 AM
Help businesses? More like help the people in the community. It’s been the
busiest summer in years. But still we’re affected by lack of income in spring
and lack of affordable housing and toddler day cares.
Anonymous
9/17/2020 09:50 AM
No more outdoor mask rule! Allow retail and restaurants to keep their
outdoor space.
Anonymous
9/17/2020 09:51 AM
I think outdoor spaces should be utilized as much as possible for dining and
shopping. I think if shops, pharmacies, and restaurants are open, the number
guests inside should be limited and the business should be required to crack
windows and doors for ventilation to lessen any viral load.
Anonymous
9/17/2020 09:52 AM
People will come here. Our businesses need a way to function.
Anonymous
9/17/2020 09:54 AM
Because we are all going to have new business models, it would be great if
the Chamber could have a central location that had up to date information on
what services will be available this winter and what the rules and procedures
are related to those services. An app would be great. I envision things like
Skiing and Rentals, In Restaurant Dining, To Go Dining, Retail, Grocery.
Each topic could then link to the businesses that are open and explain what
they are doing - EX - Pitkin County Dry Goods - open for online and in store
shopping 9am - 6pm daily. 6 shoppers at a time masks required. This App
could be advertised at the airport, hotels, available to airbnb renters, real
estate agents, signage in town, etc...
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Anonymous
9/17/2020 09:57 AM
more testing. NO DOCTOR ORDER NEEDED. Test at airport like NYC
implementing
Anonymous
9/17/2020 09:57 AM
Utility assistance Allow only Aspen rent based vendors (including special
event operations)
Anonymous
9/17/2020 09:57 AM
Continue to try to buy locally.
Anonymous
9/17/2020 10:02 AM
Continue to allow restaurants to use public spaces. Allow them to put up
tents if necessary to make outdoor dining more confortable. Restaurants
need to collaborate more extensively on delivery options that are affordable -
City should financially support this. A similar service could be offered for
store deliveries within the city limits.
Anonymous
9/17/2020 10:10 AM
Things have changed forever.
Anonymous
9/17/2020 10:13 AM
support local childcare programs to increase capacity
Anonymous
9/17/2020 10:20 AM
Open up as much as possible - we need to move forward.
Anonymous
9/17/2020 10:21 AM
Promote aspen as nothing like the surrounding failures, and test ALL visitors.
Anonymous
9/17/2020 10:23 AM
Expand bar and restaurant hours back to normal, and allow them to set up
tents in the same spots they have now.
jpom
9/17/2020 10:24 AM
I am supportive of allowing restaurants to use sidewalks and private property
for outside seating. I think we should mandate electric heaters only. If seating
is on a street, then the whole street needs to be closed. I do not beleive that
we can sefelty plow and drive on shared streets during the winter. I may be
in support of retail using outside space, but NO pop-ups. The businesses
that employee people and pay rent should be given priority.
Anonymous
9/17/2020 10:32 AM
Promote appreciation of second homeowners and visitors who bring money
into town!! It is not all about "Locals..!" who get to vote but do little to sustain
livelyhood of community!!
Anonymous
9/17/2020 10:34 AM
I would prefer to see the lifting of occupancy restrictions with the possible
requirements for masks by everyone. It seems very arbitrary to limit the
numbers of certain businesses, while others such as restaurants or flights
can have high occupancies in close proximity to one another, with the caveat
that masks are required unless eating or drinking. There are som many
arbitrary restrictions that are not being compared side by side from one
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business to the next. I would prefer to see the lifting of the occupancy
restrictions and just require mask usage when eating and drinking.
Anonymous
9/17/2020 10:37 AM
tax incentives for landlords to lower rents
Anonymous
9/17/2020 10:41 AM
Ski Co and restaurants link up to provide to go meals or reservations for the
overflow from mountain or during bad weather. Continue access and create
safe outdoor heated space where restaurants are currently using outside
public space. Must have real enforcement of health and safety rules in
restaurants and on mountain so we dont have to shut down again.
Anonymous
9/17/2020 10:45 AM
Rent assistance for local owned businesses.
Anonymous
9/17/2020 10:46 AM
Allow
Anonymous
9/17/2020 10:58 AM
Get a free testing system for COVID upon demand. Get a real vaccine ASAP
Anonymous
9/17/2020 11:01 AM
Encourage restaurants to continue offering take out. Incentivize wealthy
landlords to help the community with rent reductions. Figure out how to use
outdoor space efficiently and effectively during cold winter months
Anonymous
9/17/2020 11:02 AM
Limit any indoor businesses - especially nightclubs and restaurants and
churches and schools. It’s going to get harder before it gets easier and the
governor could shut it all down with the stroke of a pen. But be honest about
reporting your numbers. If they get sick in Aspen they got it in Aspen. Saying
they are from Australia and letting the Australiana report the numbers is
bullshit. It’s our number and we need to own it. Everything else is deceptive.
Anonymous
9/17/2020 11:04 AM
100% open everything
Anonymous
9/17/2020 11:04 AM
Enforce mandatory masks and social distancing.
Anonymous
9/17/2020 11:08 AM
I think business will be up as people who come here are not concerned
about the virus they want to come because places are open. Plus, the
outdoor activities. I think business will be up heading to winter as usual. My
concern is for the health of the workers and that businesses should be
required to do regular testing of employees to keep community spread down.
Anonymous
9/17/2020 11:27 AM
JUST MAKE PEOPLE FEEL SAFE SHOPPING, EATING, VISITING
Anonymous
9/17/2020 11:37 AM
Rent relief was a terrible program that was poorly implemented
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Anonymous
9/17/2020 11:52 AM
Increase my sense of safety. I have minimized my Aspen activity due to
concerns about tourists observing regulations and poor enforcement. Provide
access for business to outdoor retail and dining spaces. Provide rent support
for local business that serve the community. Companies like mine do not
deserve support, I do not add to the local economy.
Anonymous
9/17/2020 12:04 PM
Expedite construction projects to keep people working and to maximize
shoulder season and winter months. Expedite review of land use applications
that can bolster the local economy.
Anonymous
9/17/2020 12:25 PM
Gift card programs
Anonymous
9/17/2020 12:30 PM
Better symptom screening, testing and contract tracing. Better enforcement of
mask wearing, social distancing and quarantine. Encourage every resident to
eat take-out at least three times per week.
Anonymous
9/17/2020 01:03 PM
Fool proof testing for people entering restaurants and other businesses...fear
of contamination is number one concern for those with any kind of
intelligence!
Anonymous
9/17/2020 01:16 PM
Extended hours, outdoor spaces
Anonymous
9/17/2020 01:21 PM
Restaurants must continue to limit the number of customers. Reservations
should be required and seating times established. All businesses should
require their workers and customers wear masks. This practice must
continue everywhere until there is a successful vaccine. Rents should be
decreased for all business to help sustain them. Rentals are exceedingly high
and landlords should consider businesses trying to remain open for visitors
during difficult times, understanding there is no business (real estate offices
aside) going to make an enormous profit during these times. It is far better to
have a working business in a building than a beautiful but empty structure.
Anonymous
9/17/2020 01:31 PM
Nothing to add
kasabachj
9/17/2020 01:50 PM
1st - Treat our tourists right 2nd. Treat our residents right Perhaps
restaurants with lower price points could be induced to cut further for local
bus
Anonymous
9/17/2020 02:12 PM
Help develop co-working spaces and incubators for small and developing
businesses.
Anonymous
9/17/2020 02:26 PM
Whatever can be done to ensure the ski slopes are easily assessable for
locals. If shuttles only operate at half capacity there needs to be more of
them or additional parking available near the slopes.
Anonymous Better access to rapid testing. This is the root of all our issues. If employees
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9/17/2020 02:50 PM have access to testing we can stem the spread and keep operations running.
Anonymous
9/17/2020 02:56 PM
I will do everything I can to shop local, so anything encouraging that from
locals is a good thing. It's expensive when compared to online shopping! But
now, more than ever, it's important. I think town will be pretty busy honestly
with how this summer was, but there will probably be fewer international
travelers, so who knows.
Anonymous
9/17/2020 03:04 PM
Certain people perceive a greater threat than other people. Doing more than
is required for safety hurts all of us. If individuals want to make individual
decisions let them, but quit forcing rules on citizens. Our hospital is not and
has not been overwhelmed, move back to normal now. We live in a
community where individuals make risk decisions everyday, like skiing,
backcountry skiing, paragliding, mountain biking, road biking, walking up the
Ute Trail, hiking a 14'er or even wildlife in our yards. We are capable of
making our own health decisions. All of those mentioned activities create
more damage and death and impact our health services more than COVID
has. Get back to normal now.
Anonymous
9/17/2020 03:08 PM
Reduce government regulations that are not only stifling businesses but also
adding to the costs of everything. Free markets and their workers thrive, just
look at the best economies of the world. The more that government interferes
with business and peoples lives, the more things cost, the less jobs there
are, the more poverty there is and the lower the quality of life.
Anonymous
9/17/2020 03:13 PM
Promote tourism and the construction industry.
Anonymous
9/17/2020 03:24 PM
Anecdotally I feel like restaurants getting street space for extra seeting was
an enormous success this summer. I worry about the winter and the frigid
temperatures, though. Anything with regard to heaters that could help the
restaurants stay open would seem to me to be a good idea. Oh, and kicking
that selfish prick Andrew who runs Bootsy and Scarlets out of town would be
nice. ;)
Anonymous
9/17/2020 04:25 PM
Close streets to vehicles!!
Anonymous
9/17/2020 04:31 PM
If the number of positives continue to go down perhaps we should consider
opening to “normal” operating function.
Anonymous
9/17/2020 05:05 PM
Free enterprise will largely find the best paths. Financial relief, be it in taxes,
expansion space, or rent relief should included in a relief bill.
joancvalentine
9/17/2020 05:06 PM
Please encourage Pitkin County Health to implement a more rigorous testing
program.
Anonymous I believe all hotel operators should have a mandatory hold period between
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9/17/2020 05:54 PM stays of 24 hours. The goals is to minimize the contact of guests and
employees with each other. Spread out your cleaning staff and minimize large
arrival and departure days. Same day turnarounds with guests coming and
going at different times will create more lingering in public spaces. Safety first
will drive increased bookings into our market.
Anonymous
9/17/2020 06:18 PM
Measures to keep workers and all citizens safe. More testing. Better
allocation of testing results. More limitations on gatherings inside. Use tax
revenue to provide health care, child care and rental subsidies to workers.
Provide safer educational opportunities and child care opportunities for
workers.
Buffs
9/17/2020 06:27 PM
The health and safety of the residents is more important
Anonymous
9/17/2020 06:30 PM
Try to be as normal as possible for as long as possible.
Anonymous
9/17/2020 07:38 PM
Return to the previous business model and end the excessive restrictions.
Allow all events, activities, and businesses to open fully. Full access to
skiing, RFTA, retail, & restaurants, etc.
Anonymous
9/17/2020 07:49 PM
Continue with current support and provide more rent relief for the businesses.
Anonymous
9/17/2020 07:59 PM
Allow thongs to transition back to normal.
Anonymous
9/17/2020 09:07 PM
Enforce the laws/regs already on the books to keep us all safe.
Anonymous
9/17/2020 09:11 PM
I supported local businesses substantially less this summer than I have in the
past because town has felt very crowded, overrun with tourists and unsafe. If
this was not the case, I would have loved to support my favorite restaurants
and shops.
Anonymous
9/17/2020 09:22 PM
local business stimulus cards.
Anonymous
9/17/2020 09:43 PM
Buy locally
Anonymous
9/18/2020 01:09 AM
Open back up!!!
cdesanzo
9/18/2020 05:15 AM
Let people make their own choices on masks and the personal risks they
take. Let businesses and life get back to normal. Stop controlling our
freedom. Either open 100% or put a limit on tourists to allow those that live
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here to function at less capacity.
Anonymous
9/18/2020 06:38 AM
Do whatever you can to support take-out programs for the restaurants. They
will become so dependent on this. Matsuhisa has an incredible system in
place - talk to them.
Anonymous
9/18/2020 07:51 AM
Rent relief without landlord being involved, tax breaks, free parking after 5pm
Anonymous
9/18/2020 08:13 AM
Create a big campaign to shop local. We all order too much stuff on Amazon
etc that can be purchased from local stores. Too much wasted cardboard
too.
Anonymous
9/18/2020 08:45 AM
Close them before we all get Covid 19
Anonymous
9/18/2020 09:55 AM
Don't understand how outdoor retail and dining would work during freezing
winter months.
Anonymous
9/18/2020 09:55 AM
Nothing you're not already considering!
Anonymous
9/18/2020 10:19 AM
Shop locally!
Anonymous
9/18/2020 12:33 PM
Important to keep the community updated as changes occur. Be kind about
what we say and do.
Anonymous
9/18/2020 01:05 PM
Keep it local.
Anonymous
9/18/2020 02:22 PM
All landlords should be required to renegotiate commercial lease agreements
with tenants to reduce rents commensurate with each business's reduced
capacity for operations. In other words, adjust rents to align with the current
reality. The properties are worth less in this environment, and rents should
reflect that.
Anonymous
9/18/2020 05:10 PM
Continue temperature taking, masks, signs designation masks areas,
continued information abut Covid-19
Anonymous
9/18/2020 08:20 PM
I would like to see the proposals, the cost and the income for any support
programs. A majority of Aspen "store fronts" are national and international
companies. Let the big landlords that own the bulk of aspen real estate take
a hit and get rents renegotiated for a number of years. They are the ones
who reap the rewards of many of the rent subsidies. Where are these
taxpayer funds coming from? Maybe if town goes dark for a period of time,
all these new "residents" will get bored and move back to where they came
from and the outdoor recreational aspects will once again not be constantly
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overcrowded and Mountain Rescue performing so many baby sitting
missions. We don't want to burn them out for when a real rescue is needed.
Anonymous
9/18/2020 10:08 PM
Protect the community's health. The vast majority of economic research on
COVID shows deaths from COVID far more negatively impact the economy
than distancing efforts to decrease the effects of the spread of COVID.
Anonymous
9/19/2020 10:26 AM
Try to get more buses to ski areas as the number of riders is so limited.
Anonymous
9/20/2020 07:41 AM
After this summer, I think the majority of businesses are doing just fine.
Anonymous
9/20/2020 07:49 AM
Farmer’s markets are not essential business. Heated tents for dining are a
terrible idea. It is a shame that the city’s green standards are being tossed
aside during the pandemic. The country is on fire but let’s have mushroom
heaters warming diners in the street eating fois gras? Rent relief to help
businesses survive but please stop encouraging unnecessary activity until a
vaccine is ready. The visitors who were here this summer think this is
Disneyland and acted accordingly. It’s not safe for my kid to go to school but
at least I can hang out in the parking spaces in front of Kemo Sabe and drink
Bloody Marys.
Anonymous
9/20/2020 08:46 AM
Promote "matinee" performances , schedule some at noon or afternoon, not
just evening events. Perhaps there could be small performances on the mall
or in parks.
Anonymous
9/20/2020 01:03 PM
In order for businesses, particularly restaurants and bars, to be profitable this
winter, they will have to be allowed increased capacity and the ability to have
bars open. This will have to be done to ensure social distancing which I'm not
sure how to accommodate but some serious thought must be given as to
how to manage a thriving bar business.
Anonymous
9/20/2020 02:16 PM
Allowing for tented structures for outside dining.
Anonymous
9/20/2020 09:38 PM
Indoor space will be limited so restaurants could improve their take out
operations. Increasing kitchen and wait staff to deal with the increased
demand of take out. Having a take out team that does curbside delivery for
your takeout (call when you get there so they bring your food to you). Adding
a takeout service charge to cover added expenses of BIODEGRADABLE
takeout products and an automatic gratuity to cover cost of living for staff.
Yes, BIODEGRADABLE products should also be mandatory!
Anonymous
9/20/2020 11:04 PM
I
Anonymous
9/21/2020 05:52 AM
Allow restaurants & bars to open at 75% capacity. People should have the
choice if they want to go out or not. We know more about the virus every
week and deaths & hospitalizations are down across the country.
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Anonymous
9/21/2020 09:56 AM
Allow restaurants to create tented heated temporary spaces in the public
right away spaces in order to serve people safely and survive. Allow
businesses to use Wagner Park more.
Anonymous
9/21/2020 10:05 AM
The city needs to look at rent relief programs for businesses, especially those
that have not been able to open like bars and nightclubs. They are a vital part
of our resort economy. When things get back to normal and we want the
tourists to come because we want the tax dollars we will want these
businesses open.
Anonymous
9/21/2020 10:27 AM
Lower Rent for restaurants and small businesses so they can operate at a
reduced capacity! We don't want to lose our favorite places to eat because
landlords can't be reasonable.
cdevito512
9/21/2020 10:28 AM
SOme form of mental health and well being resources for employees who
are the people holding this town together. It's been hard on them and winter
will be worse.
Anonymous
9/21/2020 11:30 AM
I think the above mentioned are great ideas. I think backing a food delivery
system would give them even more business. I do like using the grocery
store delivery so if restaurants could amp up delivery that would be popular
with locals, if the restaurants can handle it.
Anonymous
9/21/2020 01:11 PM
Allow restaurants to open later and continue to serve alcohol later. Allow
them to move into the parking spaces to spread out and allow these spaces
to be heated. Allow people to sit at bars to allow more patrons.
Anonymous
9/21/2020 05:35 PM
Lower taxes&licences
Anonymous
9/22/2020 09:02 AM
Free parking
Anonymous
9/22/2020 09:54 AM
Aspen Winter Village
Anonymous
9/22/2020 10:11 AM
Restaurants will need covered heated outdoor space to be able to stay afloat
this winter.
Anonymous
9/22/2020 10:35 AM
I think cross utilizing existing spaces. Businesses sharing resources to help
one another
Anonymous
9/22/2020 10:37 AM
Access to accurate testing is the most important thing we can do to support
our community. The current delays are much too long. If an employee feels
sick, they're almost disincenitivized to get a test because of the delay of
results and the inaccuracy of the tests. We must figure out the testing
situation to ensure we can field a solid workforce for the winter.
Anonymous the above list is good we need to stay open!
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9/22/2020 10:44 AM
Anonymous
9/22/2020 10:52 AM
Allow restaurants occupancy to be determined by social distancing whatever
the capacity.
Anonymous
9/22/2020 01:20 PM
Allow businesses to use public and private space to expand capacity, as
much as is safe and practical.
Boarderthom
9/22/2020 01:21 PM
Warm outdoor seating with thick cushions and throws like the Creperie du
Village has. Props to them. Being warm enough is the goal for outdoor dining.
Like the rest of the world's economies (transportation, electricity production,
manufacturing ...) the restaurant sector is switching from burning dino fuel to
renewables. Think magnetic induction stove tops and Paris, France banning
outdoor gas heaters (effective Spring 2021)!!!. The answer for Aspen's
outdoor winter dining scene is multiple. Wearing enough of the appropriate
clothing (loaner jackets?) should be first and foremost. I love my Ororo
electric vest with three levels of warmth. Second, should be electrically
heated seat cushions, some are just for your bum and some include your
backside too. Amazon has a 33" X 17" love seat size pad for $24.
Anonymous
9/22/2020 04:17 PM
I don't believe forgiveness of normal parking restraints beyond "pickup
zones" will help. It will only move us back to past gridlock.
AspenCityGovernmentIsOutOfC
ontrol
9/22/2020 05:15 PM
Decisions that are driven by ambition, political calculation and the pure
animal joy of controlling other people's lives may ultimately be ruled
unconstitutional.
Anonymous
9/22/2020 05:52 PM
Encourage locals to purchase take-out food by continuing local discounts,
shopping local or doing a locals card for anyone receiving the food tax
refund.
Anonymous
9/22/2020 06:02 PM
Remove mask mandate Allow restaurants / businesses to build outdoor
heated areas for additional service Allow the ski mountains to be open
Anonymous
9/22/2020 06:38 PM
Evidence is strongly pointing to the airborne nature of COVID. Doing more
outdoors continues to be a great idea. Do more winter festival type things.
One February in Montreal I grabbed a sack, climbed up to the top of an ice
slide, and slid down the length of a city block! Outdoors can be comfortable in
the winter. how much can we do to encourage outdoors with a minimum of
heating the outdoors?
Anonymous
9/22/2020 10:03 PM
Work together to get more capacity
Anonymous
9/23/2020 07:18 AM
Welcome all the new people who now call our valley home.
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Anonymous
9/23/2020 08:19 AM
Strongly recommend that outdoor spaces and streets that were used during
the summer be extended so that restaurants can offer outdoor dining.
Strongly recommend if any winter farmers market is approved that the retail
vendors be included.
djpetrillo
9/23/2020 10:15 AM
To start the process or lines of communication that will allow for a safe
transition back to business as usual. Open ski resorts as usual, but consider
limiting capacity in on-mounting dining as a covid precaution. Skiing is an
outdoor sport where people are happy to wear face coverings. Pease do not
limit this as it will have very negative effects on our economy as well as the
mental well being of locals and second home owners.
Anonymous
9/24/2020 01:00 AM
Just open everything back up.
Anonymous
9/24/2020 06:12 AM
i think we need to find a way for restaurants to operate at a capacity that will
allow them to survive/thrive. rent relief could be indexed to full abatement if
mountain closes to percent reduction based on capacity that lifts, hotels and
restaurants are allowed to operate at. to help with lift capacity apsen
mountain should create an all day skinning route similar to highlands and
snowmass.
Anonymous
9/24/2020 06:48 AM
Get a new airport design in place. Stop building consensus and act
decisively to insure strong air travel to ase
Anonymous
9/24/2020 07:19 AM
Rent relief for workers! Give your working class some help!
Anonymous
9/24/2020 07:21 AM
Incentives of some kind during down weeks
Anonymous
9/24/2020 07:51 AM
I like the more eating spaces in parks idea. For it to work this winter we
definitely need heaters and trash receptacles and hand sanitizer stations
nearby.
Anonymous
9/24/2020 08:02 AM
Open them, treat us with respect, instead of wanting to control us. Life is full
of risks.
Anonymous
9/24/2020 08:13 AM
local shopping
Anonymous
9/24/2020 08:18 AM
Encourage take out from restaurants. Buy local, ie farmers market.
Anonymous
9/24/2020 08:44 AM
Require Negative COVID test taken within 72 hrs of arrival into Aspen if
coming from a state with positivity rate above 5%. Be PROACTIVE to keep
our economy open
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Anonymous
9/24/2020 10:10 AM
Get rid of the mask mandate. No other resort area does this. A local politician
admitted they do nothing. Why are we doing this? The WHO says not to wear
them during exercise.
Anonymous
9/24/2020 10:38 AM
Create more jobs for locals. Do not bring in foreigners to fill Aspen Ski Co.
Jobs and offer the discounted housing they provide to locals! hire people to
go around to sanitize places that are frequently used. hire people to go
around to businesses to make sure they are fully stocked with free masks, so
customers can shop with out hassle. Make sure busses have plenty of free
masks so every one can safely ride the bus. I saw a bus driver in SMV
refuse to take 2 people last weekend due to running to catch the bus and
they forgot their masks. he shut the door in their faces instead of offering
them a disposable mask. This is unacceptable!
Anonymous
9/24/2020 10:42 AM
Written earlier
Anonymous
9/24/2020 11:00 AM
To continue encouraging people that normally go out to dinner to still spend
that money on take outs to keep as many restaurants alive as possible.
Anonymous
9/24/2020 11:28 AM
Run like a normal business
Anonymous
9/24/2020 11:29 AM
Open up our town!
Sue Hopkinson
9/24/2020 03:55 PM
Highly support Outside dining and pick-up orders at restaurants
Anonymous
9/24/2020 11:03 PM
Expand indoor capacity
Anonymous
9/25/2020 12:11 AM
Stay open
Anonymous
9/25/2020 08:30 PM
Let them be responsible for their own safety procedures
Anonymous
9/26/2020 10:39 AM
If tourists are allowed to come here, we just have to have measures to keep
everyone safe. The economy will be fine, as long as rents are not too
exorbitant.
Anonymous
9/28/2020 09:47 PM
Moving operations outdoors as much as possible and requiring upgraded
ventilation indoors (HEPA air filtration systems, open windows as much as
possible, etc.) and continue to enforce universal masking indoors and
outdoors when social distancing cannot be maintained.
Anonymous Open up the economy 100% like Florida!!!
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9/28/2020 09:48 PM
Anonymous
9/29/2020 08:24 AM
Allow Open containers In the city core and Snowmass mall/village. This
would benefit our town a lot since we will have limited seating capacity. Make
open winter markets. “Winter wine festival “ in a park. Charge or increase 2-
3% tax to visitors via hotels or rentals ( long term and short). And use That
money to help people with relief checks
skjdesign
9/30/2020 06:15 PM
-tented spaces for restaurants if they wish -outdoor games in Paepcke &
Wagner Parks -picnic tables in Wagner & Paepke
Anonymous
9/16/2020 02:42 PM
More testing! Make it widespread, and affordable like the $5 spit tests
available in Texas and Rhode island. Whatever it takes to keep schools
open, avoiding another lockdown and eye towards residents’ mental health.
Anonymous
9/16/2020 03:19 PM
We need to be nimble and we need to try new things. Adapt to survive. Get
to yes - try anything and everything possible, however far-fetched. This is not
forever, so the more we can do to "accommodate" vs control is a good
attitude. Some things will work, others won't, but we simply have to keep
trying new things. Nothing should be off the table.
Anonymous
9/16/2020 03:56 PM
Get neighbors to use the Nextdoor app in their neighborhoods to better
communication. Help older citizens to use the Nextdoor app so they can ask
for help with grocery shopping etc.
Anonymous
9/16/2020 04:10 PM
For kids to go full time to in-person classes, especially K-5.
Anonymous
9/17/2020 04:56 AM
ndhttps://blog.nomorefakenews.com/2020/09/10/covid-diagnostic-test-worst-
test-ever-devised/ ...And on the back of this test, governments are wrecking
economies all over the world, and untold numbers of human lives.”
Anonymous
9/17/2020 05:58 AM
No skiing reservations, no limiting number of skiers, keep the lifts full capacity
so the lift lines are short and quick. We won’t get people coming here if there
is a possibility they won’t be allowed to ski. It’s OUTSIDE. Skico can make
more comfortable outside dining with tents and heaters. Make disposable
heat packets a fair price, cost!
Anonymous
9/17/2020 07:08 AM
We need to focus on safety first. The restaurants have had a record summer.
They need to suck it up and expect a slower winter. We need to keep our
schools fully open and our community healthy before we focus on business.
Anonymous Move all restaurants to takeout and delivery. Current restaurant scene is
Optional question (163 response(s), 171 skipped)
Question type: Essay Question
Q10 What ideas do you have to help support the community this winter?
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9/17/2020 07:15 AM unsafe.
Anonymous
9/17/2020 07:43 AM
put our health first
Anonymous
9/17/2020 08:13 AM
Keep up the good job, do not allow pressure to influence our safety by laxing
the guidelines set, you have kept us safe and it is appreciated!
Anonymous
9/17/2020 09:21 AM
No masks required outside
Anonymous
9/17/2020 09:23 AM
The selection of Nov. 4 (day after presidential election) for expiration of
mandatory masks is at best curious... but creates deep concern about the
political influence on healthcare. Please explain to the public why masks are
required until then?
Anonymous
9/17/2020 09:25 AM
see above
Anonymous
9/17/2020 09:28 AM
Redistribute the RETT to help pay for the additional building of employee
housing.
Anonymous
9/17/2020 09:29 AM
I loved what the Daily News did! They list each restaurant that is operating,
with hours, and services available. It would be great to do a section in each
newspaper dedicated to showcasing small local businesses that have been
surviving covid so visitors have a quick guide of how to support Aspen
businesses.
Anonymous
9/17/2020 09:29 AM
Call in all funding that the City has allocated to other projects to support our
community during this unprecedented time!
Anonymous
9/17/2020 09:31 AM
Continued food distribution weekly. Gift cards were a joke. The last thing I
need is to go retail shopping; I need food and essentials. Extend the food tax
credit to ALL residents of Pitkin county.
Anonymous
9/17/2020 09:31 AM
More community based online activities like the COMMUNITY READ.
Anonymous
9/17/2020 09:32 AM
Government needs to stay out of the private sector and stop pretending that
they know what's best for this community. Fix the roads, plow the streets use
my tax dollars for infrastructure. Let this community be...we are ALL
SMARTER THAN YOU!
cathy crum
9/17/2020 10:15 AM
Same
Anonymous
9/17/2020 09:36 AM
Allow businesses to operate at capacity. If you do not feel safe, then don’t go
to these places. Order take out, delivery, shop online. People will still come
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and the towns economy will still thrive. I would hate to look back a year from
now and know that many fine businesses couldn't survive because of
capacity restrictions even though there is still a large demand by consumers.
Anonymous
9/17/2020 09:39 AM
I strongly encourage the Skico to allow chairlifts (not necessarily gondolas) to
operate at capacity WHILE requiring mandatory mask wearing in lift lines and
on the chairlifts. The risk of spread in the open air, especially while on a
moving chairlift is minimal. For folks with pre-existing conditions or personal
preference, there can be separate loading line (like there often is for single
skiers).
Anonymous
9/17/2020 09:39 AM
FREE yoga or work outs in the parks
Anonymous
9/17/2020 09:39 AM
See comments above. I do not separate the "community" from businesses &
economy. I feel we are all in this together !
Anonymous
9/17/2020 09:41 AM
We must help the restaurants to be profitable,however that is done. Most of
them have greatly reduced indoor seating in the Winter so it makes it
particularly difficult.
Anonymous
9/17/2020 09:44 AM
By now we have enough data about Covid-19 that we can be smart and
creative on how to navigate through the winter, it’s not like we were last
March when it was the unknown, let’s be pro-active and smart
Anonymous
9/17/2020 09:44 AM
Less tourists please allow in our town for our safety. It’s too congested in
town during summer months, just imagine winter time. Definitely mandatory
masks.
Anonymous
9/17/2020 09:47 AM
Create additional safe volunteer opportunities. Create opportunities and
incentives for locals to ski off-peak to make room for guest skiing. Encourage
use of Exposure Notification: https://covid19.colorado.gov/Exposure-
notifications
Anonymous
9/17/2020 09:48 AM
Same as above.
Anonymous
9/17/2020 09:48 AM
Rent replied for the people. Stimulus to lower income categories. Which
exclude the servers, ski instructors and under the table people that make big
money without being on paper.
Anonymous
9/17/2020 09:51 AM
Educate the public on the importance of masks (even outside) and the spread
of covid as an airborne disease. A window or door cracked in the winter
months can greatly reduce the viral load, lessen the spread of airborne
disease, and greatly improve air quality. Perhaps a get outside with masks on
and if inside keep it fresh campaign?
Anonymous
9/17/2020 09:52 AM
Please Salt the crosswalks ! Ridiculous to have it so dangerous on every
intersection to cross the streets. Everyone falls down in the ice. Sidewalks
are not the problem. It is the city crosswalks that are dangerous.
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Anonymous
9/17/2020 09:54 AM
We did a soup kitchen last off-season and so many community members
wanted to help support it financially. I think an organized meal program for
residents and workers would be fantastic. We just did soup, but it would be
great to use a place with a big kitchen (Scarlett's), that might be under-
utilized to put together meals. Restaurants could donate the labor (sending
one or two chefs) to cook, and the community could fund the food cost.
Maybe the city could rent Scarlett's for a season, and you could actually
serve a hot meal once a day and people could eat there.
Anonymous
9/17/2020 09:57 AM
spend
Anonymous
9/17/2020 09:57 AM
Double down on Charitable Contributions as taxed based incentive Allow
testing to those who are not displaying symptoms -- preventative Greater
access to tests for personal and preventative measures Bring back
WinterSkol parade -- outside, distancing, and creative enjoyment
Anonymous
9/17/2020 09:57 AM
Several months of evidence has accumulated about how COVID is
transmitted. Strangers sharing indoor spaces is by far the biggest risk factor.
So I'd encourage the planning of outdoor activities for the community this
winter.
Anonymous
9/17/2020 10:02 AM
Continued mask wearing. Enforcing ordinances already in place. What
happened at Scarkett’s/Bootsy Bellows was inexcusable.
Anonymous
9/17/2020 10:11 AM
Collect taxes from air b&b and other private rentals
Anonymous
9/17/2020 10:20 AM
Mask policy for those who want to be out - open the ski mountains and
restaurants fully. If you're health compromised, don't go out.
Anonymous
9/17/2020 10:21 AM
Emphasize that the community is in this together.
Anonymous
9/17/2020 10:23 AM
limit the number of tourists in town to stop any COVID spread
jpom
9/17/2020 10:24 AM
Extend the mask rules through the winter
Anonymous
9/17/2020 10:26 AM
Allow businesses to operate as normal (pre-COVID) with mandatory face
masks.
Anonymous
9/17/2020 10:32 AM
Limit number of single person work trucks coming into Aspen. Auto track
license plate # to determine frequency and source of traffic coming into town.
Anonymous When we started the Covid restrictions, we were trying to flatten the curve
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9/17/2020 10:34 AM and keep our hospital occupancy and beds at a manageable level. The
restrictions now seem to have shifted to maintaining a certain percentage of
tests, while the hospital is practically empty and barely seeing 1 or 2 positive
cases per day with no admissions. I would like to see us loosen up and get
back to an open economy while paying attention to our hospital occupancy
and not relying on testing as the baseline.
Anonymous
9/17/2020 10:37 AM
Health over profits
Anonymous
9/17/2020 10:41 AM
Provide gift cards again to locals for restaurants/shops for winter.
Locals/workers are the ambassadors for reccomendations to visitors.
Anonymous
9/17/2020 10:58 AM
See above.
Anonymous
9/17/2020 11:02 AM
Be strict on enforcement right out of the gate set the tone immediately so
tourists get it. Just like Hawaii. Take temperatures at the airport. Ask visitors
if they are familiar with the box it in strategy. If not - hand them the pamphlet.
Ask them to use a food faith tracking app while they are hear. Send
automated texts to all visitors that check on their well being. This is how they
do it in Canada.
Anonymous
9/17/2020 11:04 AM
Open up town.
Anonymous
9/17/2020 11:04 AM
none
Anonymous
9/17/2020 11:08 AM
Test, test, test! Set up a testing kiosk in town heading into winter.
Anonymous
9/17/2020 11:52 AM
Enforce safety and social distancing regulations
Anonymous
9/17/2020 12:04 PM
Do not pass a vacancy tax -- that will only spur more tourists and second
home-owners to come to town and make it more crowded.
Anonymous
9/17/2020 12:25 PM
Find a way to open the ARC pools such as limited numbers by a reservation
system. Hold information sessions, socially distanced and available online,
with advice and discussion/debate by knowledgeable antagonists about
immunological health, treatments, risks and rewards of emerging vaccines,
and resources for the personal choices and responses we all make and
continue to grapple with as this long emergency plays out.
Anonymous
9/17/2020 12:30 PM
Better symptom screening, testing and contract tracing. Better enforcement of
mask wearing, social distancing and quarantine rules.
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Anonymous
9/17/2020 12:49 PM
Open the rec centers
Anonymous
9/17/2020 01:03 PM
same as above..allow some social gatherings but everyone gets tested
before entering!!!
Anonymous
9/17/2020 01:21 PM
Maintain the outdoor spaces - trails, parks, nordic skiing so people may get
out daily (even if they don’t have a mountain reservation) to enjoy the
beautiful surroundings. Don’t forget the trails from Aspen to Northstar or
Aspen to the golf course can be maintained and provide a good workout. Add
some street vendors and you have an Aspen community winter.
Anonymous
9/17/2020 01:31 PM
Nothing to add
Anonymous
9/17/2020 02:12 PM
Provide better mental health support and improve opportunities for health and
fitness.
Anonymous
9/17/2020 02:21 PM
continued public health education since we need to get through the next 9-12
months safely...
Anonymous
9/17/2020 02:26 PM
Whatever can be done to ensure the ski slopes are easily assessable for
locals. If shuttles only operate at half capacity there needs to be more of
them or additional parking available near the slopes.
Anonymous
9/17/2020 02:50 PM
Testing!!
Anonymous
9/17/2020 02:56 PM
Maybe we can have outdoor community events like Soupskol? I don't know,
it's so tough with the pandemic. Maybe free stuff for locals? Every local likes
free stuff, more gift cards for dining out or shopping in town. Please include
Aspen Village :)
Anonymous
9/17/2020 03:04 PM
Get back to normal now! COVID was new and scary at the beginning of the
year. Now we know the transmission is much less than projected, the
mortality is much less than anticipated. Our health services have improved
treatment and outcomes. Let's use the information we have learned and re-
open everything now.
Anonymous
9/17/2020 03:08 PM
We need to make sure that law enforcement knows that we appreciate and
care about them. With all that is going on around the country today in mostly
the big cities, those of us living in Aspen are very lucky for sure. First
responders are there for us when and if we need them and we can take that
for granted or have it change.
Anonymous
9/17/2020 03:13 PM
Help people get religion. Provide free booze. Open up the gyms and yoga
studios. Offer driving classes to the Texans and Floridians.
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Anonymous
9/17/2020 04:31 PM
Using taxi service and public transportation to alleviate traffic congestion
during ski season.
Anonymous
9/17/2020 05:05 PM
Events with large numbers is simply not wise. Small outside activities have to
be the focus for now, whether we like it or not.
joancvalentine
9/17/2020 05:06 PM
Please encourage Pitkin County Health to implement a more rigorous testing
program.
Anonymous
9/17/2020 05:54 PM
Mask mandate continues. Available testing for visitors.
Anonymous
9/17/2020 06:18 PM
Please see above. Limit tourism and second, third, fourth, etc., home folks
from high risk areas that have poor covid numbers.
Anonymous
9/17/2020 06:30 PM
Don't freak out about this disease. But keep Bootsy Bellows closed.
Anonymous
9/17/2020 07:38 PM
See above.
Anonymous
9/17/2020 07:49 PM
Continue to have good communication and signage to help keep the
community as safe and healthy as possible.
Anonymous
9/17/2020 07:59 PM
Stop fostering panic among the poor people who cannot think for
themselves. We need to start to move on.
Anonymous
9/17/2020 09:11 PM
Prioritize locals first when making decisions that affect schools, families,
hospitals, skier access, transportation, etc.
Anonymous
9/17/2020 09:22 PM
local business stimulus cards
Anonymous
9/17/2020 09:43 PM
Behave safely
Anonymous
9/17/2020 09:56 PM
If we spike mandatory 14 day quarantine for 2nd home owners And guests.
Cut back on international tourists and more educational out reach for visitors,
signage
Anonymous
9/18/2020 01:09 AM
Stop using fear as a form of control. Let people be free.
cdesanzo
9/18/2020 05:15 AM
If you don't open the businesses and restaurants to capacity, then you need
to limit the tourist capacity. Stop controlling our freedom. The virus was
around this town much longer than anyone is willing to admit and before any
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testing began. We don't close down for the flu or colds and those are also
contagious and can lead to pneumonia and death. We brought in all the
foreign visitors for the XGames (even from Wuhan) staying in our hotels,
hanging in our restaurants and bars .. and yet we can't admit we survived
through this virus well before March?? Wake up!
Anonymous
9/18/2020 06:38 AM
Do the gift card program again. I support the expiration of the mask zone but
consider putting it back in place if we get crowds again. I don't think it will be
a problem, as the number of visitors is likely to be less, and the weather will
keep more people in place.
Anonymous
9/18/2020 07:51 AM
City pay for 1/3 cost tent enclosures
Anonymous
9/18/2020 08:13 AM
still thinking.....
Anonymous
9/18/2020 08:45 AM
Asking tourists to stay home ,and stop risking our health! ITS NOT WORTH
IT . ALSO NO FORIEGN VISITORS WOULD MAKE SENSE! STOP BEING
SO SELFISH.
Anonymous
9/18/2020 09:55 AM
Enforce the rules already in place, and, given the high percentage of out-of-
jurisdiction COVID incidence, institute (and enforce) a better protocol for
visitors.
Anonymous
9/18/2020 10:19 AM
Watch public health information & follow through.
Anonymous
9/18/2020 12:33 PM
Donate to food bank.
Anonymous
9/18/2020 01:05 PM
Keep the local community as priority! Kids need to be in school.
Anonymous
9/18/2020 01:16 PM
Get the kids back in school.
Anonymous
9/18/2020 02:22 PM
Acquire supplies of rapid Covid-19 tests as they become available and
consider deploying them at the airport for new arrivals.
Anonymous
9/18/2020 05:10 PM
I'd love to have a beer & dinner in a restaurant but I want to make sure that I
will be safe & free of Covid carriers.
Anonymous
9/18/2020 08:20 PM
I'll be there at the essential service i work for, taking care of business that
must be handled. I will support my friends and family when I can, but I will
not be out in the community supporting local businesses until I feel safe to do
so. There is still a long way to go, especially when everyone seems most
concerned with how it affects our "guests". I will consider them guests when
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they began acting as guests - not entitled special people that consider us
their surfs - no matter how nice they are. When friends who work at the
hospital say that the majority of positives, are tourists. They may be
"temporary residents" so classified as a pitkin county resident, but its a farce.
A statement either Rachel or Ann made at the Mask Zone meeting was so
telling - that the tourists are coming here and behave like they believe there
is a big UV light covering the whole town! That's a problem when Our City
Government cow-tows to them, rather than taking care of all its citizens first..
Anonymous
9/18/2020 10:08 PM
Locals, locals, locals (working class). Dump money into feeding locals,
housing locals, getting locals their utilities. I'd love to have an economically
quiet winter and ski my face off while not having to worry about a breakout in
our community - others will need some support to make it through what is to
come of the worsening of COVID this winter, and they should be the priority.
Anonymous
9/19/2020 10:26 AM
Keep everyone wearing a mask EVERYWHERE, not just in a specific Zone!
That will also keep flu transmission down.
Anonymous
9/19/2020 02:54 PM
Open things up to normal. For those who don't feel safe, they can stay
home. Restrictions aren't created by the minority of those who believe this is
a big deal.
Anonymous
9/20/2020 07:41 AM
Please enforce the masks and make restaurant tables be 6 feet apart if you
choose to do that again.
Anonymous
9/20/2020 07:49 AM
Support our community by encouraging people to behave responsibly. Keep
us healthy buy actually enforcing the rules. It literally feels like no one is in
charge except for the mighty dollar that tourists bring.
Anonymous
9/20/2020 11:46 AM
Ensure visitors follow safety protocols!
Anonymous
9/20/2020 01:03 PM
Until current restrictions are loosened, the government will need to help
support businesses and individuals through programs instituted this summer
such as rent relief and gift cards and stimulus money.
Anonymous
9/20/2020 09:38 PM
Adding more outdoor events so locals have opportunities to have some
normalcy
Anonymous
9/20/2020 11:04 PM
I would recommend an immediate doubling of the landing and aircraft parking
fees at the Aspen FBO (private airport) with the funds earmarked to support
community members and nonprofits most in need. I can't think of an easier
way to raise money.
Anonymous
9/21/2020 05:52 AM
We need to get back to what Aspen does or we won’t have a town.
Anonymous
9/21/2020 09:56 AM
The health of the community should be the primary focus, not money. Allow
the schools to use the parks/open spaces as learning pod centers.
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Anonymous
9/21/2020 10:27 AM
Give priority to locals for skiing our mountains this winter. Just like golf this
summer, skiing will be our most popular form of recreating within a pandemic.
We need to be able to have access or the mental health of our community
will be a mess.
Anonymous
9/21/2020 11:30 AM
Keep the mask mandate. If everyone would abide by the safety plan we can
keep the numbers low and actually have a social life. However the bars being
sneaking and opening is ridiculous. There are no accidents opening when
they shouldn't. It's not the fault of the Liquor board, COA or APD that they
messed up. It's the owner's fault that his employees may not have a job. He's
making it difficult for the other bars in Aspen that would like to open. So
having said that, don't mollycoddle the offenders. Stick to your guns and let
business know that you mean business so it doesn't affect the future of the
other bars that are obeying the public orders. I think COA is doing a bang up
job and I thank you for keeping everyone safe!!
Anonymous
9/21/2020 01:11 PM
SEND THE KIDS BACK TO SCHOOL!
Anonymous
9/21/2020 05:35 PM
Cut fees & licensing
Anonymous
9/21/2020 08:27 PM
Drive in/outdoor concerts, live music is imperative for mental health!!
Anonymous
9/22/2020 09:02 AM
I’m not sure how increased outdoor use will be successful given winter
temperatures, unless perhaps the city vets and subsidizes energy efficient
outdoor heaters and temporary enclosed spaces available for all. The main
problem in the downtown core is the high cost of commercial rents which
make it hard for business owners to devote capital to change or adjust their
business to accommodate major Covid-19 concerns. I think the main issues
are public health law enforcement, buy in from tourists, and overall
uncertainty. I think the City did a good job this summer.
Anonymous
9/22/2020 09:54 AM
Aspen Winter Village
Anonymous
9/22/2020 09:57 AM
Let us ski
Anonymous
9/22/2020 10:11 AM
Keep mandatory mask zone in place so that locals can feel a little more safe.
Should be easy in the winter since people wear scarves and neck gators
anyway.
Anonymous
9/22/2020 10:37 AM
Same as above. The community at large supports the business community
and without testing, we are dead in the water.
Anonymous continue mask zones and distancing
Pre-Meeting Survey : Survey Report for 14 June 2016 to 30 September 2020
Page 55 of 58
107
9/22/2020 10:44 AM
Anonymous
9/22/2020 10:52 AM
Explain how to maintain Winter outdoor dining areas? How is or could a
heated dining room outside be COVID-19 compliant without air
filtration/mitigation? Snow removal?
Anonymous
9/22/2020 01:20 PM
Create more opportunities for outdoor recreation and exercise: Nordic skiing
in parks and trails not usually used as such. Yoga and exercise on plazas,
malls, parks.
Boarderthom
9/22/2020 01:21 PM
We need to be realistic. Burning lines of incandescently bright heaters on a
cold evening with zero customers is just a good way to speed up global
warming. Council should pass a "no idling" law for gas heaters to protect our
winters. And those gas heaters with the vertical central visible flame shouldn't
be used as advertising; get some LED illumination.
Anonymous
9/22/2020 04:17 PM
Public transportation must be addressed. ASC funds RFTA skier shuttles, but
the number of buses must increase dramatically. I will defer to RFTA data,
but I assume ridership on their regular routes greatly increases in winter.
Frequency of buses simply must increase.
AspenCityGovernmentIsOutOfC
ontrol
9/22/2020 05:15 PM
Decisions that are driven by ambition, political calculation and the pure
animal joy of controlling other people's lives may ultimately be ruled
unconstitutional.
Anonymous
9/22/2020 05:52 PM
Outdoor community events over weekends for families; après in the streets
where people can gather and have fun before the sun goes down; afternoon
bands in parks with food and beverage vendors (local restaurants and
purveyors); cross country tours; encourage discounts on uphill or cross
country packages
Anonymous
9/22/2020 06:38 PM
We're in it for the long haul. Be kind. Wear a mask. Protect each other
Anonymous
9/22/2020 10:03 PM
Cut through all the bureaucratic red tape and move quickly to move to new
phases.
Anonymous
9/23/2020 07:18 AM
Food bank drives
Anonymous
9/23/2020 08:19 AM
Extend the outdoor retail and dining spaces to support local businesses and
provide visitors and residents with the opportunity to shop and dined safely in
Aspen.
Anonymous
9/24/2020 01:00 AM
Just open everything back up.
Anonymous
9/24/2020 07:21 AM
Same as above
Pre-Meeting Survey : Survey Report for 14 June 2016 to 30 September 2020
Page 56 of 58
108
Anonymous
9/24/2020 07:51 AM
Designated 15min drop off parking will get abused. I think we should try just
creating an entire drop off zone that blocks those spaces from 7-10am
everyday. Make it a parallel-to-curb (no angled pulls ins) drive up and drop
off on Durant for a couple blocks in each direction, one way towards the
plaza from each side. And during that time, make the block on Hunter from
durant to cooper be one-way driving away from the mountain only. Have a
few people on-site to push cars along, kind of like at airports. And have
crossing guards to guide traffic and peds. With very limited capacity on
busses, transportation for both tourists and workers is honestly the biggest
concern IMO. Thanks for putting this survey out there. Cheers to getting
creative, being flexible, and getting through this together!
Anonymous
9/24/2020 08:02 AM
People don't move to Aspen to work, they move here to play. The locals
want the city and ski area to themselves, they see Aspen as a city with a lot
of tax money, free money for them. They like being in control and getting rid
of tourists.. is it your job to keep Aspen a real town, with tourism? Then treat
the tourists with respect and realize there will always be a virus. This shut
down, humiliation, depression and fear you have caused is much worse than
the virus which has killed 10,200 people. Although I realize some of you have
basked in your new found power.
Anonymous
9/24/2020 08:13 AM
everyone needs to smile under their masks and keep masks up until we have
weeks of no increase in virus cases
Anonymous
9/24/2020 08:18 AM
Adhere to health and safety policies like mandatory masks.
Anonymous
9/24/2020 08:44 AM
Require Negative COVID test taken within 72 hrs of arrival into Aspen if
coming from a state with positivity rate above 5%. Be PROACTIVE to keep
our community safe!
Anonymous
9/24/2020 08:47 AM
To continue the free parking in the residential for the winter
Anonymous
9/24/2020 10:10 AM
We must get back to normal ASAP. Covid-19 is now no more dangerous than
the flu yet we don't shut down everything and make people wear masks just
because people are getting the flu.
Anonymous
9/24/2020 10:42 AM
Start PR targeted to families ready to go on a winter vacation. People have
been cooped up inside their homes for months. As numbers of cases go
down, those contemplating a winter vacay should be hit with info NOW. Do
email blasts and get travel writers and influencers to write . Show families
skiing. Hit them with family ski videos.
Anonymous
9/24/2020 11:00 AM
This pandemic has effected us all differently so maybe just to ask everyone
to have more understanding and compassion for those people in need.
Anonymous Don’t let the city council be the only voice. They are all gone soon
Pre-Meeting Survey : Survey Report for 14 June 2016 to 30 September 2020
Page 57 of 58
109
9/24/2020 11:28 AM
Anonymous
9/24/2020 11:29 AM
Those who are at risk should be supported. Those who are young and
healthy need to be able to work.
Anonymous
9/24/2020 12:53 PM
Airport screening of all incoming tourists (both commercial and PRIVATE
airports)
Sue Hopkinson
9/24/2020 03:55 PM
Keep businesses open but mandate mask wearing
Anonymous
9/24/2020 11:03 PM
Focus on the important facts. Communicate how many people are critically ill
and have died. Not just positivity rates.
Anonymous
9/25/2020 08:30 PM
No Mandatory mask zone. No mask outside!!! Everyone is already wearing
gloves and covering their face because of the cold
Anonymous
9/26/2020 10:39 AM
Have a rent relief program where rents are adjusted (Or assistance is given)
to reflect the Covid decline in business.
Anonymous
9/28/2020 09:47 PM
I think instituting mandatory testing prior to arrival for visitors and mandatory
quarantine and/or follow up testing 5 days post arrival would be a useful way
of reducing the possibility of having visitors bring covid in from other areas.
This has been successfully implemented in NY (where visitors from risky
states must quarantine for 14 days). That might be too challenging for a town
whose economy relies so heavily on tourism, but maybe enforcing
“quarantine light” where visitors are asked to restrict indoor activity in public
indoor spaces like restaurants, stores, etc. For a period of time after arrival
until they’re cleared either by a negative test or getting past the most risky
incubation time period (4-6 days) would be a compromise?
Anonymous
9/29/2020 08:24 AM
Charge or increase 2-3% tax to visitors via hotels or rentals ( long term and
short). Provide people That live and work in the valley Year round (certain
amount of hours) and make less than X amount with Monthly relief checks
for groceries or rent.
skjdesign
9/30/2020 06:15 PM
help for workers who have been lates off
Optional question (148 response(s), 186 skipped)
Question type: Essay Question
Pre-Meeting Survey : Survey Report for 14 June 2016 to 30 September 2020
Page 58 of 58
110
(This summary has been consolidated so that only the post survey polling and ideas are included.)
111
Visitors 186 Contributors 101 CONTRIBUTIONS 101
Aspen Community Voice : Summary Report for 14 June 2016 to 06 October 2020
ENGAGEMENT TOOL: SURVEY TOOL
Winter Vitality Values Survey
The following themes came out of the pre-survey and Virtual Town Hall meetings.
Please rank from hightest to lowest the items the City of Aspen should focus on this
winter?
OPTIONS AVG. RANK
Consistent health messaging to visitors 3.22
City support of County to increase COVID testing 3.78
Extension of mandatory mask zone (set to expire in early November)3.89
Consistent health messaging to the community 4.05
Alternative use of public spaces to assist with capacity issues,
commerce, or events
4.59
Encourage flexibility in City codes to allow for expedited review of
temporary structures or events or use changes
4.66
Sponsor and/or support socially distanced outdoor activities and
events
5.38
Explore Alternative Transportation Modes 5.85
Page 11 of 16
Optional question (100 response(s), 1 skipped)
Question type: Ranking Question
112
Aspen Community Voice : Summary Report for 14 June 2016 to 06 October 2020
Programmatic or policy changes that support economic vitality this winter may
include commerce, events, and dining in parks, streets, or parking spaces. There
could also be Council priority changes that prioritize the economy over other
scheduled g...
71
71
80
80
61
61
59
59
79
79
24
24 28
28
16
16
Other (please specify)Extended construction dates Extended construction hours
Sreet closures for commerce or events Fast tracking of COVID related policies that might stall other City goals
Park use during the winter causing later opening date in spring due to revegetation
Parks reserved for special uses like dining or small events Fewer parking spaces
Question options
10
20
30
40
50
60
70
80
90
Page 12 of 16
Optional question (101 response(s), 0 skipped)
Question type: Checkbox Question
113
Visitors 4 Contributors 1 CONTRIBUTIONS 1
01 October 20
WDM
VOTES
0
UNVOTES
0
Aspen Community Voice : Summary Report for 14 June 2016 to 06 October 2020
IDEAS
What policies can the City of Aspen and/or ACRA consider to support
your ideas?
Flexibility. Have a Plan A, B,C, D. Covid has had a v
ariable course, and if there is only one plan, it won't
work for all sectors all winter
Page 13 of 16 114
Visitors 44 Contributors 20 CONTRIBUTIONS 39
01 October 20
Casey Endsley
VOTES
3
UNVOTES
0
01 October 20
Mkthomps
VOTES
6
UNVOTES
0
01 October 20
Erniefyr
VOTES
3
UNVOTES
0
01 October 20
Erniefyr
VOTES
2
UNVOTES
0
01 October 20
AspenResident2020
VOTES
1
UNVOTES
0
Aspen Community Voice : Summary Report for 14 June 2016 to 06 October 2020
IDEAS
What are your ideas for a thriving winter in Aspen given health
regulations?
Completely reopen 100% with zero restrictions.
Outdoor dining
Continue to allow restaurants to expand into the streets for outdoor dining. Given wint
er weather, this will require tents which the City hasn’t supported in the past. But, you
need to make an exception given the unusual public health issues.
Sell lift tickets in two segments, 8-12 and 12-4. Peo
ple can purchase both if they want. This will alleviat
e crowding.
Promote uphill skiing in a big way, E Snow Bikes to
Maroon Bells, Cross country skiing, uphill hiking. He
ated outdoor dining.
Older And compromised people should receive assi
stance and other than that, everything should open
back up!
Page 14 of 16 115
01 October 20
Lorenzo Semple
VOTES
2
UNVOTES
0
01 October 20
AspenCityGovernm
entIsOutOfControl
VOTES
0
UNVOTES
0
01 October 20
KateSpencer
VOTES
0
UNVOTES
0
01 October 20
KateSpencer
VOTES
0
UNVOTES
0
01 October 20
KateSpencer
VOTES
0
UNVOTES
0
01 October 20
Hallem
VOTES
1
UNVOTES
0
Aspen Community Voice : Summary Report for 14 June 2016 to 06 October 2020
IDEAS
What are your ideas for a thriving winter in Aspen given health
regulations?
There may be an opportunity to offer night skiing on
Little Nell run for one night each month, like First Fri
days/Friday Night Lights vibe
Night Skiing on Little Nell
Don't evict Aspen Chamber Members that are artists
for political reasons. Jim True runs City Hall. Peace
not war.
Lee Mulcahy artist
Health of the community first
Without employees our town cannot run. Start before they get here, give everyone a
mask at the airport and free masks at the tourist information kiosks and around town.
Maybe businesses could sponsor them. No tolerance for people defying health orders
and putting us all at risk.
Support local
Love the idea of more vouchers for local businesses (remember Aspen Village!) - no
w more than ever we should be buying local vs online to keep our community's busine
sses running.
Socially distanced events
Locals need morale boosters. Give us free stuff - food at a park (soupskol?), outdoor
gear of any kind... make us feel like we're appreciated and the season will be better fo
r everyone.
Local Spotlights on City of Aspen Instagram
Spotlight local employees from all different industries on the City of Aspen Instagram t
o give visitors and the Aspen community a chance to connect deeper with the people
who make up Aspen and learn about all of our wonderful local businesses. Highlight
where each individual works: restaurants, ski shops, construction companies, real est
ate firms, hotels, salons, spas, pharmacies - you name it!! Also ask them what they ar
e thankful for and include in the caption. Spreading gratitude and connecting the com
munity with the employees who keep Aspen going is what we need this season.
Page 15 of 16 116
02 October 20
mia aspen
VOTES
0
UNVOTES
0
02 October 20
Toler76
VOTES
0
UNVOTES
0
03 October 20
KP
VOTES
0
UNVOTES
0
Aspen Community Voice : Summary Report for 14 June 2016 to 06 October 2020
IDEAS
What are your ideas for a thriving winter in Aspen given health
regulations?
Charged RVs for overnight parking on the streets in
Aspen
RVs and sleep in trucks should be charged at least $25 if they park overnight in the pa
rking spots on the street. They are taking valuable parking spots and guests who visit
restaurants and bars can’t find the spot. Also, we don’t have any evidence who is
staying in town like that and if they brought COVID or not. Restaurants being doing gr
eat job with tracking everyone who comes in- great job by Limelight restaurant. The o
vernight parking should be only out of town. Other Colorado towns like Telluride are c
harging a night.
Mandatory Body Temperature Sensing before being
allowed to enter any indoor public space
Require all businesses and government buildings to use a “no touch” body temperatur
e device (fixed or hand held) before allowing a person to enter a restaurant, retail spa
ce, or government building. If a person’s temperature is above 99.6 (or whatever publi
c health officials deem appropriate) then the person is not allowed to enter. This helps
keep everyone more protected from seasonal colds, flu and COVID.
allow more independent risk/reward decisions. As in
a ski ticket disclaimer a restaurant could offer more/l
ess restrictive policies for pepl
A spectrum of separate (+separated) behaviors is possible and appropriate, green to
double black.
Page 16 of 16 117
Page 1
MEMORANDUM
To: City of Aspen and ACRA
From: Design Workshop: Jessica Garrow, Pio Ibrahim
Date: September 20, 2020
Project Name: Aspen COVID Town Halls
Project #: 6445
Subject: State of Aspen’s Economy Summary Report
Introduction:
This memorandum is intended to serve as a high-level summary report of the state of Aspen’s economy to
support the City of Aspen and ACRA’s Town Halls related to COVID recovery in the winter. The data
included comes from publicly available reports and sources, including from ACRA, the City of Aspen, Pitkin
County, Stay Aspen Snowmass, and airlines. Like most communities, the general trends show a decline in
tax collections and lodging occupancy compared to previous years, but also show certain business sectors
rebounding.
City of Aspen Objective for Economic Recovery:
In April, the Aspen City Council approved six (6) objectives for recovery from the COVID-19 pandemic and
allocated $6 million in assistance to the community. These included objectives included:
• Economic Security
• Economic Recovery
• Mental Health
• Pitkin County Support
• Communication
• Government Services
The funds have been used to
support businesses, families, and
individuals. Some of the specific
programs included support for the
County’s financial assistance program, Personal Protective Equipment (PPE) expenditures, policy changes
and relief for residents in the Aspen-Pitkin County Housing Authority units, enrollment subsidies and rental
assistance for childcare programs, gift cards for locals to use at local businesses, temporary suspension of
paid parking, and grants to arts organizations. Additionally, ACRA provided gift cards to tourists for use in
local businesses. Figure 1 outlines the committed and spent funds to date.
Taxable Sales:
The City of Aspen has reported data on sales tax collections through July, which show a total year over
year decrease in retail sales of 15.2% and a year over year decrease of 14.9% in revenue. The retail sales
from July alone were 8.6% lower than that of the same time a year ago. This is important to highlight
considering the month of July typically accounts for just over 10% of the City’s overall taxable sales for the
Landscape Architecture
Planning
Urban Design
Strategic Services
120 East Main Street
Aspen, Colorado 81611
970.925.8354
designworkshop.com
Figure 1
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Page 2
year. However, this decline was far better than the initial City projection that July’s retail sales would be
38% lower than that of last year.
Although the pandemic has hit certain industries harder than others, some achieved growth. The industries
with the largest decreases for the year have been Accommodations, Clothing, and Restaurants/Bars at a
rate of 28.7%, 23.8%, and 18.7% respectively. These three industries make up about half of the retail sales
of the City. The industries that saw an increase in revenue year over year for July were Liquor, Sports
Equip/Clothing, and Construction with an increase in sales by 26.8%, 23.7%, and 12.6% respectively.
Unfortunately, Liquor is the only industry of these three that has offset the losses from the previous months
with its year to date change coming in at 13.6% by July compared to a -5.7% and -6.3% for the Sports
Equipment/Clothing and Construction industries. Complete data on all retail categories is illustrated in
Figure 2.
Figure 2: Retail Sales Information through July 2020
Year to Date Retail Sales July Monthly Retail Sales
Category % Change Prior
Year
% of YTD Retail
Sales
% Change Prior
Year
% of Monthly Retail
Sales
Accommodations -28.7% 26.1% -21.2% 24.0%
Restaurants & Bars -18.7% 16.8% -9.4% 19.7%
Sports Equip/Clothing -5.7% 7.3% 23.7% 6.3%
Clothing -23.8% 6.9% -13.4% 10.0%
Food & Drug -2.6% 7.9% 3.5% 8.5%
Liquor 13.6% 1.7% 26.8% 2.0%
Miscellaneous 3.2% 9.1% -1.7% 8.6%
Construction -6.3% 8.3% 12.6% 7.2%
Luxury Goods 2.3% 5.2% -19.9% 6.0%
Utilities -0.9% 6.7% -11.2% 3.3%
Automobile -15.9% 2.4% -1.4% 2.8%
Marijuana -17.0% 1.5% 6.1% 1.6%
Total -15.2% 100.0% -8.6% 100.0%
The City’s portion of the Pitkin County Sales Tax is 8.8% lower year over year. Importantly, internet sales
have provided a slight boost to these tax figures, as they are collected at the state level through a central
point of tax remittance.
The data for those who applied for COVID relief in Pitkin County shows just how hard employees of certain
industries have been affected by the pandemic. Nearly 56% of the program’s applicants work in the
Hospitality and Dining/Restaurants industries and almost 67.6% of them live in Aspen. By July, almost a
third of the applicants from the Hospitality and Dining/Restaurants industries had reported that their work
has not yet restarted.
Lodging:
Data from the City of Aspen’s lodging tax shows that through July there has been a 25.8% decrease
compared to the same period last year. The monthly variance between 2020 and 2019 shows a sharp
decline starting in March and reaching an all-time low of 92.3% in April. Slowly recovering since, the
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Page 3
monthly variance between both years was last reported as down 15.4% in July. With a deficit of about
$400,000, the lodging tax for this year is still 23.3% below the pre-pandemic budget.
This information is consistent with the Stay Aspen Snowmass Reservations Activity Report that shows the
decline in occupancies as of March in Aspen and Snowmass. The report reveals paid occupancies in
Aspen reached lower than 2% in April and May until they started recovering in June. Given state and local
public health orders, this is not surprising, but the impact to the lodging industry is significant.
The year over year difference in paid lodging occupancies in August was 59.4% compared to 75% in 2019.
The Average Daily Rate (ADR), which measures the typical cost of a hotel room, had dropped by as low as
41.7% in May but was only 3.8% lower than the previous year in July. The ADR was fully recovered by
August when it was 1.2% higher than that of the previous year in Aspen ($491 compared to $485 in 2019).
For the Summer Season to date (May – August), paid occupancy is down nearly 39%, while ADR is up
5.6%.
A trend this summer, which is expected to continue through the ski season, has been an increase in last
minute bookings. In July, the September bookings were anticipated to be 52% lower than in 2019, but by
August those bookings were just 22% lower than in 2019.
Real Estate Transfer Taxes:
Real estate sales are one area that has been significantly increasing as the year continues. Real estate
transfer tax collections reveal an initial decline in revenue in April and May due to the pandemic followed by
a sharp increase in the month of August that has helped the City of Aspen meet its 2020 budget in just 8-
months.
The year over year decline in housing real estate transfer tax for 2020 starts to show in April, with a 30.6%
drop in revenue compared with what was projected. In May, the difference between the budget and the
actual collections was down 83.6%. Shortly after, the tax revenue started to recover, recording a high
increase of 297.8% for August compared to 2019. In August alone, the revenue for the housing real estate
transfer tax was just over $2.5 million. Once about 21% below the overall tax collections of the prior year,
tax collections as of August are now 29.0% greater than those of the prior year (year over year). Similarly,
the Wheeler Opera House real estate transfer tax collections for August are 278.1% above last year’s
August revenue, driving the total compared to last year’s collection up to 43.3% (year over year).
Flights:
Information from the Aspen / Pitkin County Airport’s (ASE) Summer/Fall 2020 Flight Service Patterns gives
insight into the current and future influx of travelers to the City. Overall demand for flights has plateaued at
roughly 30% of last year’s levels. United has remained in the market, continuing service to Denver and
Chicago though September, but eliminating service to LAX. Delta has halted all its flights to and from
Aspen until further notice, while American Airlines has begun adding some additional flights. This addition
nearly replaces the loss of Delta from the Aspen market.
ASE’s traffic for August of this year is down by 54.2% in comparison to that of last year. This difference in
monthly traffic between 2020 and 2019 is expected to gradually decrease, 31.9% in September and 11.1%
in October. While flight schedules and frequencies are quite variable, by November, the monthly traffic for
this year is expected to begin rebounding thanks to continued service by American Airlines and United
Airlines.
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Page 4
Expedited Construction for COVID-19 Recovery:
This spring the City reached out to the community via a survey to identify ways to expedite construction
projects. This was in line with one of the objectives of the resolution passed by Aspen’s City Council that
seeks to minimize economic disruption caused by COVID-19 and actively encourage its recovery. As a result,
the City has adopted a revised policy for certain building permits to speed up the process of approval for
“shovel ready” projects. This has resulted in a significant reduction in the queued permits compared to the
previous year. And, despite the new burdens imposed by the pandemic on construction, the city staff has
been capable of issuing more permits. As of July, 678 COVID Health Safety Plans for construction sites have
been reviewed and approved to allow projects to begin or continue building.
Building permit submittals are on track to match 2019 levels, and the City’s adjustments to the permit process
during this economic recovery are providing lessons for longer term, more permanent adjustments to the
process.
Conclusion:
From the beginning of 2020 until mid-March, all business sectors and the resulting tax revenue to the City
were tracking at or above budget. However, the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic in the following months
resulted in unprecedented declines in almost all industries. By May 31st, hotel occupancy had dropped to
just 1.6%. More than 4,000 applications were received for the COVID Relief Funding, with 82.3% stating
the applicant had applied for unemployment. Also, by the end of May, sales tax revenue was 14.4% lower
than the YTD budget and real estate transfer tax revenue was down 3.1% of YTD budget.
With stay-at-home orders lifted, visitors returned to Aspen. For the 3-month period of June, July, August,
real estate transfer tax revenue bounced back and exceeded last year’s YTD budget by 42.4%. The sales
tax monthly variance between 2020 and 2019 for July was down just 6.1% (after it was down 45.1% in
March). Lodging occupancy in August was at 59.4%, which is 20.7% less than in August of 2019, but
significantly better than the spring numbers.
While summer did not totally offset the losses from the end of winter and into spring, businesses and tax
revenue has begun to rebound. Ski towns are anticipating a reduction in international travelers this winter
due to Covid, but domestic travel is anticipated to increase due to travel restrictions, which may result in
weekend visitor surges over the ski season.
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1
City County Work Session – October 12, 2020
City of Aspen Health Protection Team Update
MEMORANDUM
TO:Aspen City Council
FROM:CJ Oliver, Environmental Health and Sustainability Director
THROUGH:Phillip Supino, Community Development DIrector
MEETING DATE:October 12th, 2020
RE:Health Protection Team Update
PURPOSE: This memo is being provided to give an update on the activity of the Health
Protection Team working to reduce the spread of COVID-19 in the Aspen community
through education, support and business outreach.
SUMMARY: Last spring, Council expressed a desire for City staff to take a proactive
stance on supporting the business community, residents, and visitors in their response to
COVID-19 and compliance with public health orders. In response to that direction, staff
expedited the creation of the Health Protection Team, including program development,
staff hiring, and training.
The City of Aspen Health Protection Team has been providing educational interactions
with businesses, residents and visitors to boost knowledge and provide tools to help the
entire community achieve better compliance with standing public health orders and to
reduce the spread of COVID-19 in the community. The team has been in the field in a
formal capacity since late June. The initial work for this team was conducted by
Community Response Officers along with staff from the Parking Department and
Environmental Health. Two full time staff dedicated to this effort are now part of the
Environmental Health and Sustainability Department and have been working in this
capacity since August.
DISCUSSION:The Aspen Health Protection Team works in conjunction with our
counterparts in Pitkin County to help ensure COVID safety for our community through a
primarily education and support-based approach. Staff work with businesses to resolve
issues and proactively train employees and managers to understand and apply the sector
specific portions of public health orders. On certain occasions, the team will also support
the Pitkin County Public Health Department on enforcement actions at non-complaint
businesses through documentation of observations and collection of information. These
instances have been rare but have come up throughout the course of the past several
months.
To provide these services on a timely and thorough basis the City of Aspen hired two full
time employees in the later part of the summer to be largely in the field working directly
with businesses. Mike Sear and Emmy Garrigus both joined the City of Aspen team from
roles in retail management in the Aspen community and they bring a valuable
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2
City County Work Session – October 12, 2020
City of Aspen Health Protection Team Update
understanding of the business perspective to dealing safely and effectively with the
COVID pandemic. This team is managed by Natalie Tsevdos, Food Program Manager
and Sr. Environmental Health Specialist for the Environmental Health Department.
The majority of the work in the early stages for this team was complaint response and
reacting to changes to the public health orders as they regularly evolved based on
changing conditions in our area. In a sense this work was reactive out of necessity.
Looking forward to the winter season the team has been able to switch to a much more
proactive approach. For the next couple of months, the focus will be on working with
businesses to develop plans for safe operation based on various possibilities that may
come about through the winter season. Capitalizing on the experiences of the summer
season and relationships that have been built between staff and the business community,
the team is making significant progress towards this goal. During the presentation, staff
will discuss the specifics of how this work is being done in addition to highlighting major
accomplishments that have taken place regarding this program to date.
FINANCIAL IMPACT: The budget for this program is $200,000 per year including salaries
and other operating costs. The program is currently budgeted through the end of 2021
with the actual timeframe to be determined by COVID activity as we move forward.
CITY MANAGER COMMENTS:
______________________________________________________________________
______________________________________________________________________
______________________________________________________________________
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MEMORANDUM
TO:City Council
FROM:Ron LeBlanc, Special Projects Manager
THROUGH:Sara Ott, City Manager
MEMO DATE:October 8, 2020
MEETING DATE:October 12, 2020
RE:Winter in Aspen Vitality (WAV)
REQUEST OF COUNCIL:
The purpose of this discussion item is to present the City Council with a summary of the
activities underway to plan and prepare for the Winter 2020-21 season.
SUMMARY AND BACKGROUND:
At the direction of the City Manager, an internal team of city staff was assembled to address
the upcoming winter season. The Winter in Aspen Vitality (WAV) Team contributed to the
material presented tonight. Several city departments are represented: City Manager’s
Office, City Clerk, Administrative Services, Public Works, Engineering, Parking, Transit,
Community Development, Events, Environmental Health, Police and Parks & Recreation.
Work on this task has been underway since early August.
This report and presentation are organized into separate topics. Some topics are shared for
information purposes only, while others necessitate City Council direction or action. Any
item that requires formal City Council action will appear on the October 13 agenda.
The WAV Team program is a work in process. There are items under consideration that
have not been sufficiently vetted by staff at this point in time. The next City Council Work
Session on October 26 will likely include additional items related to winter activities.
One of the fundamental assumptions guiding the decisions and recommendations of the
WAV Team is simply we are planning for an estimated “baseline” of activity over the next
four months. For those periods when we anticipate a surge (Christmas Week, MLK
Holiday weekend, college spring break, and Presidents Day weekend) plans will be
developed to manage through the surge using existing staff and financial resources.
The WAV Team is organized under a “Unified Command” structure. This will:
Establish a clear chain of command.
Provide a strategic framework.
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Establish objectives and priorities.
Communicate an organizational structure that is accountable.
Assign specific responsibilities.
Develop timelines and deliverables.
DISCUSSION:
In order to facilitate the presentation and support City Council decision-making, this outline
provides a guide to use as we work our way through a lengthy list of topics.
1. Public Health Orders. The Governor’s Office and CDPHE will continue to issue
public health orders and guidelines. Pitkin County will also continue to issue public
health orders and guidelines. The discussion tonight will focus on those items that
involve city jurisdiction.
a. Masks. Should the City extend the mandatory mask zone? Current city
ordinance expires on November 4, 2020
i. City Council policy discussion, Council direction requested.
b. Other public health orders and updates.
2. Learning from other jurisdictions nationally and internationally. The WAV Team
monitored ideas, programs and policies from other jurisdictions. Mitch Osur will
provide an update.
a. City Council information only, no decision requested.
3. Parking. The WAV Team is recommending the designation of parking spaces
devoted to take out food. Mitch Osur will provide an update.
a. City Council information only, no decision requested.
4. Use of Bus Lane. Several individuals and entities such as ACRA have suggested that
hotel shuttles be allowed to use of the existing bus lane. Mitch Osur will provide an
update. Staff researched this issue and found the following:
a. Approval by several entities and jurisdictions would be required.
b. Hotel shuttles would be required to run a fixed route and accept all
passengers.
c. ADA considerations.
d. Hotel shuttles may be required to obtain special jitney licenses and insurance.
e. Other issues.
i. City Council information only, no decision requested.
5. Fee waivers (typically assessed on businesses engaged in temporary uses and outdoor
dining). This review and recommendation are the combined effort by several staff
and city departments. Ben Anderson will provide an update.
a. Waiving the Liquor Modification Fee is not recommended.
b. Fees in question are: Mall Lease Fees (City Clerk), Growth Management
Affordable Housing Fees (ComDev), Land Use Review Fee (ComDev),
Building Permit Fees (ComDev).
c. The rationale proposed for City Council consideration is as follows:
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i. Waiver is consistent with City Council goals to support locally owned
businesses and locally serving businesses.
ii. Waiver aligns with the over-all City-wide objective of “surviving
winter and thriving as a community”.
iii. Waiver supports local businesses by lowering COVID response costs
to individual businesses and streamlining processes.
iv. Waiver supports public health by supporting businesses to implement
COVID response solutions.
v. Waiver supports the local economy by promoting and enabling public
health compliant business activity.
vi. Waiver supports staff by reducing administrative workload and
streamlining the approval process.
d. City Council policy discussion. City Council direction requested.
i. City Attorney has advised staff to obtain City Council authorization
under the emergency powers established by City Council in response
to the pandemic and economic crisis.
6. Fee waiver for outdoor dining. There are two considerations to bring to the attention
of City Council. Scott Miller will explain the rationale in support of the
recommendation.
a. Re-consider the decision to apply a $1.00/sf fee for outdoor dining in the
public right of way for this past summer. While this was the intent of a
previous action by the City Council, we now have data that illustrates the
local economy did suffer this past summer. The economic impact of the
COVID economy did not apply equally to all businesses. There were 18
restaurants and 9 retailers using street and sidewalk space this summer.
Those fees total approximately $10,000. Re-considering this fee would be
well received in the business community and be viewed as a good will gesture.
b. Consider waiving the $1.00/sf fee for outdoor dining during the winter
season. Staff anticipates about 3 restaurants to occupy public right of way this
winter. The estimated financial impact is $3,000.
i. City Council policy discussion, Council direction requested.
7. Rules for outdoor dining (private property). WAV Team is seeking clarification
regarding the use of private outdoor spaces for dining. Ben Anderson will be
available for questions.
a. Are tents and awnings acceptable?
b. Other structures such as yurts, igloos, geodesic domes.
c. What heating sources are acceptable? Electric? Propane?
i. City Council policy discussion, Council direction requested.
8. Rules for outdoor dining (public ROW). WAV Team is seeking clarification
regarding the use of outdoor spaces for dining. Scott Miller will present.
a. Is Council comfortable with allowing outdoor dining in the public rights of
way?
b. Are open-flame heating sources acceptable?
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i. City Council policy discussion, Council direction requested.
9. Street closures. After considerable debate and discussion, the WAV Team does not
recommend any street closures at this time. At best, any street selected for closure
will please half the business while upsetting the other half. Closing the street
involved additional winter maintenance as a center strip must be cleared for
emergency vehicles. Scott Miller will respond to Council
a. City Council information only, no decision requested.
10.Expedited Community Development Review and Approval Process. With input
from several city departments, the Community Development Department has
prepared the attached streamlined approval process for temporary seasonal uses (see
attached). Ben Anderson is available for questions.
i. City Council policy discussion, Council direction requested.
11.Use of Parks. A variety of ideas and proposals from the public have been reviewed
and discussed among staff. The Parks and Recreation staff recommend that each
proposal be reviewed and vetted on its own merits taking into consideration a variety
of factors including but not limited to: location, park preparation, benefit to local
business economy, potential damage to turf and park facilities, staff commitment,
fencing, lighting, parking, portable toilets, power requirements, etc. City parks
should not be considered for extended winter use, only limited use such as weekends
or holidays. Austin Weiss, Interim Director, will present this item and respond to
City Council questions.
a. Winter Wonderland concept. WAV Team recommends against allowing a
winter village at Wagner Park. The concerns of the Parks & Recreation
Department will be explained during the meeting.
b. City Council information only, no decision requested.
12.Signature event-Winter Polo. The City has received a proposal to use a city park for
a winter polo event. A staff memo is attached. Nancy Lesley will present the details
(see attached memo).
a. City Council policy discussion, Council direction requested.
13.Special events – Draft list (subject to change). Nancy Lesley will review the
following concepts.
a. November-
i. 27/28/29** Possibility of scavenger hunt/Mice on Main/retail
component
ii. 30
th - Nordic Snowshoe Full Moon with Free Hot Chocolate (Aspen
Nordic Center)
b. December:
i. All month
1. Promote the Nordic Trails
2. Promote the Fat Bike Course
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3. Promote Nordic Events (Town Series) work with Ute
Mountaineer
ii. 1/5/8/12/15/19/22/26/29– Walking Tours – through the Historical
Society
iii. 2 – Gazebo lighting and caroling in Paepcke Park with social distance
iv. 2/9/16/23/30 – Hosted Fat Bike rides at the Aspen Nordic
Center/Golf Course
v. 15 – 31 Window Decorating Contest in core
vi. 15 – 31** Possibility of Scavenger Hunt/Mice on Main
vii. 12/20/21 Santa in a Snow Globe – ability to take photo or talk no
touch
viii. 12 – 24 Holiday backdrops for photos
ix. 18 – 23 Holiday Carolers walk town
x. 18/19 Snow Polo on Wagner Park
xi. 23 – Aspen High School Band Paepcke Park
xii. 29 – Nordic Snowshoe full moon with free hot chocolate (Aspen
Nordic Center)
xiii. 31 – New Year’s Eve celebration
xiv. Free Skate at the AIG noon – 5pm reservations required and time and
group size limit
xv. Coupon handouts during the day (cookie, coffee at local businesses)
c. January
i. 2/5/9/12/16/19/23/26/30 – Walking Tours through the Aspen
Historical Society
ii. 6/13/20/27 Hosted Fat Bike Rides
iii. 10 – Owl Creek Chase
iv. 15/16/17 Host Outdoor Ice Bars (If weather and restaurants allow)
v. 27/28/29/30 Possibility of Scavenger Hunt/Mice on Main
vi. 28 Nordic/Snowshoe Full Moons with Free Hot Chocolate
d. February
i. 2/6/9/13/16/20/23/27 Walking Tours through Aspen Historical
Society
ii. 6 Fat Bike Race
iii. 3/10/17/24 Hosted Fat Bike Rides
e. March
i. TBD with weather and success (or not) of other events
ii. **Scavenger Hunts/Mice on Main will be weather dependent and
ideally have a “drive business component”
f. City Council information only, no decision requested.
14.October 26 City Council Work Session.
a. Additional items for future discussion
i. Transit
ii. Re-opening city facilities
iii. Childcare
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iv. Crowd control
b. City Council information only, no decision requested.
15.Other topics City Council would like to include for discussion on October 26.
ENVIRONMENTAL IMPACTS:
Each of the above situations and conditions brings its own set of environmental impacts
which will be discussed during each presentation.
ALTERNATIVES:
The WAV Team will continue to work on a variety of issues concerning the winter season.
RECOMMENDATIONS:
The WAV Team has identified items above for City Council direction and seeks favorable
consideration of their recommendations.
CITY MANAGER COMMENTS:
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This process is intended to accommodate temporary enclosures located only on private
property. If your business needs consist of using public right-of-way, please contact the
Planner of the Day (contact info. is provided below).
TEMPORARY OUTDOOR ENCLOSURES
A GUIDE FOR BUSINESSES IN ASPEN
WINTER 2020-2021
Reach out
to us
1. Site plan depicting size & location of enclosure(s)
2. Diagram of each enclosure depicting:
• Seating, heating elements, exits & electrical service
• 12-ft. fire break passageway between building & enclosures
• Proposed signage. Please include signage location(s), materials & dimensions (length & width)
• Proposed exterior lighting. Please include lighting specs. location(s) & lighting direction
3. Documentation of Class C flame spread & smoke developed indexes for enclosures & interior materials
(does not including tents or membranes)
4. Spec. sheets for all interior equipment (heating, food, service, etc.)
5. For any temporary elements attached to a building (enclosures, heaters, lighting, signage, etc.) please
submit a proposed method of attachment using photographs, drawings, diagrams, text, etc. Attachment
to a historic structure may be denied and will not be permitted to cause permanent damage. Please reach
out to the Historic Preservation team to discuss options before submitting an application.
Submit your temporary structure
permit application to the city online.
Be sure to include the following:
Schedule a Site Visit
Planning & Land Use:
planneroftheday@gmail.com or
970-429-2764
Building & Fire Codes:
builderoftheday@gmail.com or
970-429-2735
Aspen Fire Department:
Main: 970-925-5532 or
Parker Lathrop, Fire Marshal
parker.lathrop@aspenfire.com
Permit Coordinators:
permitcoordinators@cityofaspen.com
Questions? Let’s Chat. 2
3
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2020 has been one for the record books. Given the challenges our community has faced, the City of Aspen is
streamlining processes to support businesses and responding to public health orders. The goal is to keep our
community safe and open. Each business will have different needs and challenges so please contact us as soon as
possible so we can discuss your situation. Temporary structure permits are required for all dining enclosures. Review
of these permits will be expedited.
Once the enclosure is in place, request an
inspection to ensure compliance with all
relevant building and fire codes prior to
occupying the space.
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Historic Preservation:
amy.simon@cityofaspen.com or
sarah.yoon@cityofapsen.com
Assess your needs
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• “No Smoking” signs must be installed within tents per Fire Code.
• Fire extinguishers:
o Must be hung in an easily accessible location on the appropriate hanger (e.g., zip ties
cannot be used to attach an extinguisher to a structure);
o Must be current on annual inspection;
o Travel distance to an extinguisher cannot exceed 75-ft; and,
o Type K extinguishers are required within 30-ft. of any cooking equipment.
• No open flames allowed. Electric heat only.
• Propane heaters may be used outside of enclosures, provided they are not under any type of
awning or overhang and there is at least 5-ft. of clearance between the heater and any
combustible material.
• Carbon monoxide detectors are required and shall be tested prior to installation.
• Electric heat & lighting must be on a programmable timer to automatically shut off during
non-business hours.
• Battery operated, or battery backup emergency lighting shall be provided in the enclosure in
case of a power outage.
• Flame resistance certification per NFPA 701 for tents & membrane structures
o Certificates are required for tents & decorative materials inside the tent
o Documentation of interior materials must be kept on site & available upon request
TEMPORARY OUTDOOR ENCLOSURES
Building Code and Land Use
Requirements for Winter 2020-2021
Please note that temporary enclosures, heaters, signage & lighting approved through this process may only be
erected while public health orders are in place. Upon rescinding these orders, all elements will need to be
removed within 15 days of the orders expiring.
• Entrances to enclosures must be a minimum of 32-inches wide.
• Decks higher than 30-inches (or stairs with four steps, including the landing) must include a
railing per building code. Elevated dining platforms require an accessible route.
• Sidewalks, public access and egress pathways shall be kept clear and free of obstructions and
tripping hazards (electric cords, tie downs, etc.).
• Accessible dining requirements apply to all enclosures. An accessible route must be provided
to all dining areas, all accessible seating and to existing restrooms.
• Temporary enclosures associated with existing restaurants are exempt from Commercial
Design Review & Affordable Housing Mitigation.
• Occupant load sign to be calculated pursuant current public health orders.
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MEMORANDUM OF INFORMATION
TO: Sara Ott, City Manager
FROM: Nancy Lesley, Director of Events and Interim
Wheeler Opera House Executive Director
Tyler Christoff, Director of Utilities
Steve Barr, Parks, Operations Manager
THROUGH: Diane Foster, Assistant City Manager
RE: 2020 World Snow Polo Championships- Snowmaking & Venue
REQUEST OF COUNCIL: Staff is notifying the City Manager regarding the possibility
of making snow this November or December if all conditions allow, for the Snow Polo
special event on Wagner Park. For this year only, staff would like to utilize Wagner
Park for this event. The scaled down event, the proximity to the St. Regis (title sponsor)
and the event’s ability to manage the venue all created a situation where staff feels that
this event should be held on Wagner Park this December. Staff is requesting approval
to move forward and permit this event as described below.
SUMMARY AND BACKGROUND: City staff is presently reviewing the permit
application for Snow Polo to be held on Friday and Saturday, December 18th and 19th
in Wagner Park. The Aspen Valley Polo Club signs a Park Lease with the Parks
Department that requires a certain amount of snow must cover the park to protect the
grass during the event. In order to meet the terms of the lease, the Club has
requested the option to make snow, if necessary, for the event.
For the past seven years, Mother Nature hasn't provided sufficient natural snow to
meet the Parks Department’s lease requirements. In those cases, the Club
contracted with the Aspen Skiing Company and made snow specifically for the
event.
In 2018 when the City was under Stage II water restrictions, Council at that time
voted to move forward and approve the snowmaking if all conditions (same as
outlined below) were met.
DISCUSSION: In July 2020, a Stage I Water Shortage was declared by City
Council. As water conditions worsened during the summer, Council enacted a Stage
II Water Shortage on September 1, 2020. The focus of the adopted water reduction
measures is on outdoor irrigation which is the primary water use in the summer and
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early fall. The specifics of the Stage II restrictions as described in Ordinance 10
series of 2020, are attached as Exhibit A.
Since City water customers are under Stage II water restrictions, staff has been
discussing the implications of the restrictions as it may pertain to making snow for this
event. If the following conditions are met, then staff believes that snowmaking can
comply with the current water restrictions.
Conditions for use of Aspen's water supply for snowmaking at this event
include:
• Sufficient water must be available in the system at the time of snowmaking.
Water Department staff will evaluate the following criteria to
make this determination immediately prior to the event:
o Ability to meet Aspen's existing domestic use
o Ability to meet existing in-stream flow requirements for Maroon
Creek and Castle Creek.
o Ability to meet all existing water contracts.
• Cost of the water and associated staff labor will be covered by the event.
• Water Department staff will manage the water system connection and
work with the Parks Department and Aspen Skiing Company to ensure
safe and effective operations.
• Snowmaking operations will use water efficiently and not allow water to
puddle or runoff the Wagner Park into the streets
• Water use will have a backflow prevention device and be metered to
allow an accurate accounting of water used.
·
FINANCIAL IMPACTS: The cost of the Water Department staff time and metered
water will be billed to the event.
ENVIRONMENTAL IMPACTS: The process of snowmaking involves electricity and
treated water. Making artificial snow during a sta ge tow water restriction
in town will use a s ignificant amount of water for a no n -critical event.
Snow making can also create noise issues when done in close proximity to residential
or commercial operations. The use of the quieter types of snow making equipment
for this event in recent years has been successful in mitigating this impact. Moving
the location to Wagner Park may increase the likelihood of noise challenges.
ATTACHMENTS: Exhibit A- August 25, 2020, Ordinance 10, series 2020 Stage
Two Water Shortage
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