Steamboat Base Area plans delayed by lazy consultants

It's looks like we have to wait a couple of more weeks to find out the final form of the Ski area base update plans. Word is that the consults said they didn't realize they were expected to have final plans together at the meeting Thursday even though this is what they have been working towards for months and at the last meeting they were specifically asked for it. Oh well we will see it soon enough.

Steamboat Ski Area Base update plans nearing approval

FYI on the status of plans to update the Steamboat Base Area. I think that the plans are pretty well thought out for the most part and have the potential to create much more of a year round scene up at the base area. I love Steamboat as it is but having more of a village up by the base area with more nice restaurants, funky sandwich shops and bars would be awesome.

Selected quotes from the Steamboat Pilot:
Officials debate ski area future Commission to vote Thursday
By Tom Ross, Staff Reporter

The future of Steamboat Springs' mountain village is on the table again Thursday night, when Planning Commissioners will consider adopting a plan that would guide future development at the base of Steamboat Ski Area.

City officials find themselves working to adapt to a sudden shift in thinking about how much density should be allowed in major new projects at the base of Mount Werner. Consultants for the city reversed themselves late last month, saying developers may need to be allowed to construct larger buildings to make redevelopment of the aging ski base economically feasible. Sufficient density is needed to allow developers to provide expensive amenities such as underground parking and public spaces, consultant Stan Clauson said last month. But adequate density also is necessary to reinvigorate commercial centers at the base of the ski area, he said.

Clauson told Planning Commissioners during an Aug. 11 meeting that the density issue also speaks to the ability of developers to provide employee-housing units. His staff told Planning Commissioners that developers should be allowed to build denser buildings as an incentive to build the employee-housing units.

"You asked us to provide some way to approach the issue of affordable housing," Clauson said. "We have to ask whether the current (development) code provides sufficient density to allow redevelopment of the base area."

More kids competing in Steamboat Town Challenge

This is too cool! I stopped by the race last night and these kids are great. They are out htere to have fun but the twinkle in thier eyes belies their Steamboat competitive spirit. It's no mystery why so many great athletes come out of Steamboat Springs. There are so many fun opportunities for kids to get involved at a young age and so many good role models starting with most of the parents. Last night I saw a little girl watching her mommy come in to the finish line. The look of wonder on her face told the whole story...

A youth movement By Melinda Mawdsley, Staff Reporter Thursday, July 21, 2005

Jett Seymour is only 6 1/2 years old, but he knows what he wants. He would like his first mountain bike with clips, and he would like to ride in the Tour de France. He will have to wait a while for both, but on Wednesday, he settled for first place in the 8-and-under division of the Town Challenge Series, finishing the course in the Eye 2 Eye Cross Country race in 31 seconds. "I have really good sprint legs," said Jett, who is small enough that the popular yellow Livestrong bracelets fit around his ankles. "This is my first gear bike. I was on (gear) four the whole time."

Koby Vargas finished behind Jett in 32 seconds. Drew Williamson was third in 35 seconds. Competitors in the 8-and-un--der division pe--daled quickly from How-elsen Lodge to the tow house and back. The Steamboat Springs Town Challenge Series continues to grow in popularity with its youngest participants. On Wednesday, 22 children 12 and younger competed in the Eye 2 Eye Cross Country race. An additional 10 raced in the 13- to 15-year-old division.

Several Steamboat youths have surpassed their age abilities, so they asked race director Gretchen Sehler to let them compete in higher divisions or, at least, race longer courses. She obliged. Full Story from the Steamboat Pilot

Council keeps smoking ban strong

Thank you City Council!! One of the reasons we all love Steamboat Springs is the clean mountain air. Nothing is worse than going out for a good ride to keep in shape then going to a restaurant and having to breathe in someone else's smoke. People will still visit reataurants and bars with a smoking ban and many people will stay longer. Boulder put in a ban years ago against threats of dire consequences to the resaurant and bar business that never materialized and I think that we will see the same results here.

Council nixes amendment
Steamboat Springs' smoking ordinance won't be altered, yet
By Christine Metz, Staff Reporter
Wednesday, July 20, 2005
The Steamboat Springs City Council stood by its original smoking ordinance on Tuesday, its members saying they would not allow smoking in outdoor seating areas.
Less than three weeks after the smoking ordinance took effect, council members said they wanted to give the ordinance more time to work before changing it. The council voted 4-1 not to amend the ordinance to allow outdoor smoking areas.

Full Article from the Steamboat Pilot

Steamboat Springs Rocks in the Summer!

Big Head Todd is playing in Steamboat Springs tonight! I am so psyched! They are doing a free Concert at the base of the Steamboat Ski area.

Nobody loves Big Head Todd like I do! See you tonight for another fantastic summer night in Steamboat Springs. Summer in Steamboat rules!

See the article below from the Steamboat Pilot and Today:

Big Head Todd headlines tonight's free concert

By Autumn Phillips, Pilot & Today Staff

Thursday, July 14, 2005

This is the concert everyone has been waiting for. Big Head Todd and the Monsters take the stage at 5:30 p.m. today as the second installment of the Summer Free Concert Series.

If you go

What: Big Head Todd and the Monsters; Steve Boynton opens When: 5:30 p.m. today Where: Headwall ski run at the base of the Steamboat Ski Area Cost: Free Looking ahead The Free Summer Concert Series continues with these performances: July 29: Sonny Landreth at 5:30 p.m. at Howelsen Hill. Aug. 13: Nitty Gritty Dirt Band at 5:30 p.m. at Howelsen Hill Sept. 3: Cracker at Headwall at the base of the Steamboat Ski Area. Time to be announced.

Adding Big Head Todd to the series lineup came as a last-minute surprise to organizers, but they couldn't have been happier.

Days after they found out, organizers Joe Kboudi and John Waldman held a "buy a song" fund-raiser on radio station KFMU to cover the cost over budget of adding the new band.

They kept the band's name a surprise until all expenses were covered in mid-June.

Big Head Todd is a homegrown Colorado band and its fiercest fans are here. Band members Todd Park Mohr (keyboards, guitars and vocals), Brian Nevin (drums and vocals) and Rob Squires (bass and vocals) have been playing together since their days at Columbine High School in Littleton, finally forming Big Head Todd in the late 1980s as students at the University of Colorado at Boulder.

Although the band has a die-hard following in Colorado, its greatest radio success came in the early 1990s with the song "Bittersweet" and the 1993 album "Sister Sweetly."

The band's latest album, "Crimes of Passion," was produced by Mohr in his solar-powered studio in Yampa and at Immersive Studio in Boulder. In a news release, Mohr said he incorporated anti-pop, old-school psychedelic elements to keep the album's sound contemporary.

"I like to call it Techno-Delta," he said. "Delta blues with synthesizers."

Mohr's vision for the album was a combination of catchy rock tunes combined with dark-themed storytelling, according to the release.

"Something between Dylan's ‘Tangled up in Blue,' which I think is the greatest storytelling song ever, and Zeppelin's ‘Kashmir' is what we were after," Mohr said.