Noticias

• The Sounds of Off Season
• A Look Back: Telluride Celebrates Hockey State Champions
• Stakeholders help fund Royer Gulch Engineering

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The Sounds of Off Season in Telluride

Do you hear that?

It’s off season in Telluride — a cherished time following the closure of the ski resort on April 6. Restaurants and retail stores shutter their doors, and everything slows down just a little.

A walk through town on a sunny Thursday afternoon revealed how locals are spending their time during the seasonal transition.

“And we are in the midst of transitioning from ski to summer while trying to support all those seasons as we transition,” said Dave Hallowell, an employee at Jagged Edge. “So we’re still doing some ski work as needed, we have stuff for the desert, we have things on sale, we have new items arriving daily.”

Hallowell said Jagged Edge remains open for most of April, helping locals with their outdoor gear needs.

For families, off season means a two-week spring break. School resumes Monday, April 21. Local parent and contractor Ryan Ehlers said his family took advantage of the break.

“We just got back from our family, from Peru,” Ehlers said. “We got to escape for spring break. Now it’s just back in town working.”

After a busy winter, many in the service and hospitality industry use this time to take vacations. Coffee Cowboy co-owner Scott Keating was found working in the new Voodoo commercial space.

“We are doing our tenant improvements for building this space into a coffee shop, cafe, local hang,” Keating said.

Not all shops close up. Bella Fine Goods was open, and employee Kathy Seward shared her upcoming travel plans.

“I am working in the gallery, I work on Main Street and also the company is sending me to Florence for a little jewelry designer training,” she said.

Off season is also a time for public works projects. Returning residents may notice freshly painted crosswalks and parking spaces. Meanwhile, the buzz of construction dominates an otherwise quiet Main Street.

As for why locals love the off season, many said it’s a time to slow down and reconnect.

“I’d say the town feels a little less Disneyland-ish and more authentic,” one local said. “Most of the people you see you know. And so it kind of feels like more of that community, you know, without all the noise.”

“Just hang and catch up with people who were in the throes of on-season and being able to just feel more relaxed energy around town,” said another.

“Love kind of having the town clear out and the empty streets, a lot of parking, and just feeling more of the old school community vibe,” added a third.

Most retail stores and restaurants begin reopening around Memorial Day weekend after a much-needed break.

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Telluride Celebrates Hockey State Champions

KOTO News was recently recognized by the Colorado Broadcasters Association for excellence in news programming in 2024. This week, we’re highlighting KOTO’s award-winning stories from last year.

Today’s featured piece, originally broadcast in March 2024, celebrated Telluride’s hockey state championship win.

Since this story aired, the Telluride School District voted to create a high school hockey program of its own.

Story begins at 3:50

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Stakeholders Join to Fund Royer Gulch Engineering Study

During summer monsoons, officials keep an eye on two high-risk zones for debris flows: Highway 145 and Royer Gulch.

Royer Gulch, located east of Telluride, flows into the Idarado neighborhood and onto a paved road and walking path near the end of the valley.

San Miguel County Manager Mike Bordogna updated county commissioners on April 2 regarding a proposed engineering study to address the recurring debris flow issues.

“Where the county and the town both jointly own property, the town owns the road up to Idarado that then becomes K69,” Bordogna said. “The county owns the Idarado legacy recreation trail. As you may recall, last year we spent approximately $40,000 just removing the debris.”

The debris has threatened homes, roads, and trails, blocking access during previous events.

“That was the second time in four years that we had to spend that level of funding,” Bordogna said. “Actually, I take it back — the first time Road and Bridge was able to do it. They were tied up with significant projects this year, so they had to hire a contractor. We know this issue is not going to abate on its own.”

The Town of Telluride proposed a collaborative funding effort with Idarado Subdivision, Falls Creek Subdivision, and the county to split the estimated $200,000 cost for the engineering and design study.

“The request coming from the town is for the Town of Telluride, Idarado Subdivision, Falls Creek Subdivision, and the County all share in the cost,” Bordogna said. “They want to go out to bid in this.”

Commissioners voted unanimously to support the study but emphasized that this was not a commitment to fund construction, which is expected to cost more than $1 million.

“We’re essentially not going to be able to fix the cost of the problem that is above,” Bordogna said. “Because there are multiple drainages that are contributing to this up above the road.”

The engineering study aims to mitigate future damage from high-country debris flows.

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Montrose County Leadership Resigns Amid Controversy

Montrose County is experiencing upper-level management turnover following the resignations of the county manager, assistant manager and county attorney.

The departures came after pressure from Commissioners Scott Mijares and Sean Pond.

Commissioner Pond said longtime County Attorney Marti Whitmore resigned voluntarily, but Whitmore later disputed that claim.

A packed meeting room greeted commissioners during a special meeting Tuesday, April 14. No public comment was allowed, prompting boos and calls for recall from attendees.

Interim positions for manager and attorney were filled during an executive session.

The unrest stems in part from the commissioners’ decision to demote newly hired public health director Mirza Ahmed after discovering his ties to the World Health Organization and questioning his views on vaccines.

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Polis Signs Semiautomatic Gun Ban Into Law

Senate Bill 3 was recently signed into law by Colorado Gov. Jared Polis. The new measure restricts access to semiautomatic firearms and bans their manufacture within the state.

The law has drawn strong reactions from gun rights groups and several local governments, including the Boards of Commissioners of Garfield, Mesa and Montrose counties.

As KDNK’s Lily Jones reports for Rocky Mountain Community Radio, those commissioners argue the law oversteps state authority.

Story begins at 11:20

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Deeper Layoffs Loom at Bureau of Land Management

The Bureau of Land Management is bracing for more layoffs in the coming weeks, following a secretarial order shifting oversight from the Secretary of the Interior to a Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE) staffer.

The move effectively sidelines current Secretary of the Interior Doug Burgum.

The order calls for consolidation in key administrative areas such as IT, human resources and communications, part of a broader federal restructuring effort.

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Colorado Democrats Reintroduce Childhood Sexual Abuse Bill

A group of Colorado Democrats is once again trying to pass legislation that would allow victims of childhood sexual abuse to sue over decades-old allegations.

As KUNC’s Lucas Brady Woods reports, this is a renewed attempt at a bill that failed to pass last year.

Story begins at 13:35

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Climate Change, Severe Weather Threaten Western Traditions

Human-caused climate change is leading to increasingly severe weather and making forecasts more difficult.

Rural western regions now face longer wildfire seasons and more intense, unpredictable storms that strain infrastructure.

In our region, these challenges threaten not only safety but also tourism-based economies and cultural traditions rooted in the West.

Rocky Mountain Community Radio’s Caroline Llanes reports on how one Colorado county is working to protect both its residents and its heritage.

Story begins at 14:36

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