Noticias

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Remembering Dan Bergstrom Noel

Telluride lost a member of its community over the weekend.

Early Sunday morning Daniel Bergstrom Noel passed away at his Telluride home surrounded by his friends and family after losing a battle to cancer. He was 50 years old.

Originally from Vermont, Noel was a beloved teacher in Telluride. He lived a full life with friends everywhere he went. He was an avid fly fisherman, skier, biker, and runner.

Crippin Funeral Home will attend to services.

Noel is survived by his sister, Amy, his daughters, Delia and Hazel, and his loving wife, Nicki.

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SMART Considers Ridership and Stop Location

If a bus drives from Norwood to Telluride but no one is on it, does it still count as public transportation?

Ridership is down on San Miguel Authority for Regional Transportation (SMART) buses from Norwood, and staff are trying to figure out why.

One possible factor, according to Kari Distefano, operations manager for SMART, is the cost of gas during the pandemic, which encouraged people out of their cars.

“The one thing that was pretty obvious was the higher gas prices in 2023,” Distefano said. “That does track with the additional ridership.”

She added that scheduling could also play a role.

“We had targeted that typical 8-5 ridership,” she said. “I think because of what happened during COVID, there’s fewer and fewer people working those desk jobs in their offices. I think they’re working from home, but there’s no real way to figure that out unless we start surveying people.”

Looking at Norwood route ridership dating back to 2022, numbers peaked in 2023 with around 3,500 riders each month in January and February. This year, ridership for the same time period didn’t reach 3,000.

SMART Executive Director David Averill said shifting the Norwood route schedule is part of the agency’s strategic operating plan. He said it’s not just about serving current riders, but also those who stopped riding — or never got on at all.

“We do have an opportunity, and that’s the idea — to enhance the service by making the timings better for when people want to come and go,” Averill said. “I think it’s something we have to dig into, mainly just to make sure we’re putting the bus out there at the right time.

“I think there’s still going to be elasticity because of gas prices. Frankly, we notice the buses that are really popular with the school kids — they’re unpopular with the adults. There’s probably something going on there too. It’s stuff like that; we have to dig on it a little bit. It is interesting because Norwood has been so strong historically that it’s a little concerning to see a blip.”

Meanwhile, on the Rico route, SMART has started running a larger bus due to rising demand.

“During all of March, they had a bus that was adequate for the number of riders,” Distefano said. “We got some pretty big ridership; we’ve had 18, 20 people. Not charging has made a big difference for that route.”

SMART’s newest route — from Montrose with a stop in Ridgway — is also seeing numbers increase. But Distefano and Averill are still looking for ways to improve service.

They are considering adding a second stop in Montrose, potentially at the Target store. They’re also exploring relocating the Ridgway stop, which is currently next to Ace Hardware.

“We are trying to continue the conversation with Bustang and the Town of Ridgway to have a better, more central stop,” Distefano said, “rather than continue to use the one over by Ace Hardware, which is on the Ouray side and away from where most of the residences are.”

SMART is currently running its off-season service, with all regular routes in operation and additional service to Mountain Village while the gondola is closed for seasonal maintenance.

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Norwood debates Master Planning

For the Town of Norwood — you gotta plan to plan.

From the school to housing, to business and Main Street development, a modern master plan guides a community’s vision into the future.

The Norwood Board of Trustees met Wednesday, April 9, for their regular meeting and received an update on potential master planning. The town’s current master plan was adopted in 2007 — a time when Norwood wasn’t experiencing as much development.

Trustees approved a resolution to begin working with KLJ Engineering, a land use and master planning firm.

“What they do is they come in, they review your plan,” said Town Clerk Amanda Pierce. “They have many community meetings, they have many board meetings, they figure out what the vision is for the community — which we’re already doing with this WE Vision Plan. And so then they just basically say, ‘This is where you’re at, where do you want to get to? What kind of people do you want to attract, what kind of businesses do you want to attract, and where do you want to go in the future — our future land, our future growth.’ They just basically create a plan so when we look at funding, we’re a little bit more ready for opportunities.”

Mayor Candy Meehan said most master plans are updated or reviewed every three to five years, giving communities updated goals and a clearer vision for the future. Meehan also noted that a more technical approach to land use would help streamline new development plans.

“Almost every application is asking for a variance or an exception or this, that or the other,” Meehan said. “It’s becoming a logistical nightmare. It’s making things complicated when we’re having to deal with the county or anything else like that. It’s housekeeping.”

An updated master plan can help align with other jurisdictions and give developers a better understanding of what a community is looking for.

Pierce said KLJ quoted the town $50,000 for a new master plan — a figure that drew questions from Trustee Niven Drybrough.

“We’re spending a great deal of money. How much did we spend on the last master plan? Probably 50K. I bet it was at least,” Drybrough said. “I just—nevermind, I just think, well, I’ve seen this happen before. It’s a mill of hope.”

While Drybrough wasn’t explicitly against new master planning, the cost and expected outcomes raised concerns.

“Especially for staff and the board, that when they’re looking for funding or anything like that, they have this priority of, ‘This is our first priority, this is our second priority, this is our third priority,’ et cetera,” Pierce said. “It doesn’t mean that the board can’t do something over here that has kind of become more critical, but not only is it a document that says, ‘These are your priorities,’ but it tells you why this is a priority. And your structures — this is the life that they have — so in 2030, you need to start thinking about replacing your town hall by 2035.”

While no concrete decisions were made on the master planning process, land use code updates are on the docket this summer for the Town of Norwood.

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CDOT Begins Culvert Cleaning on CO 145 Near Norwood

Starting Monday, March 14, the Colorado Department of Transportation will begin a week-long culvert cleaning operation on Colorado Highway 145, approximately three miles east of Norwood.

Operations will take place Monday through Friday on Norwood Hill (mile points 96 to 98). Motorists should plan for up to 10-minute delays, flaggers and one-lane alternating traffic between 8 a.m. and 4 p.m. each day.

Crews will work swiftly to complete routine maintenance operations; however, work is weather permitting.

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Biden Wildlife Nominee Draws Mixed Reactions from Conservationists

As Congress considers major changes to the Endangered Species Act, President Trump’s pick to lead the agency responsible for wildlife management is receiving mixed reviews from conservation advocates.

Brian Nesvik, the former head of Wyoming’s Fish and Game Department, has been tapped to head the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service.

Advocates praised Nesvik’s work with migration corridors for wildlife but pointed to controversies, including chronic wasting disease outbreaks among elk herds and the state’s handling of an animal cruelty case involving a gray wolf.

“In Wyoming, Nesvik had a mixed record when it came to environmental protections, but was known for being open and willing to listen,” said Chamois (shammy) Andersen with the advocacy group Defenders of Wildlife.

“He has been criticized for catering or being more supportive of oil and development in the face of wildlife management,” Andersen said. “But at least he brought in the diverse stakeholders to work toward a collaborative consensus-based process.”

Andersen said conservation advocates are prepared to hold Nesvik and the Fish and Wildlife Service accountable if his nomination is approved by Congress. Nesvik’s nomination has been approved by a Senate committee but still requires confirmation by the full Senate.

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Sen. Michael Bennet Announces Run for Colorado Governor

Colorado Sen. Michael Bennet announced his candidacy for governor this past weekend.

Bennet has served in the U.S. Senate since 2009 and has won three consecutive terms.

Colorado Attorney General Phil Weiser announced his own gubernatorial run earlier this year.

If elected, Bennet would choose his successor to fill his Senate seat in Congress.

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Ski Ballet Makes a Comeback on Colorado Slopes

A snow sport that saw its heyday in the 1980s and faded from the spotlight a decade later is making a comeback.

Ski ballet — part dance, part acrobatics — is performed entirely on skis.

Some ski ballet enthusiasts recently gathered at Monarch Mountain, near Salida on Colorado’s Western Slope.

Rocky Mountain Community Radio’s Stefanie Sere has more.

Story begins at 9:56

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