News

• Mountain Village Turns 30
• Commissioners Talk Local Funding Requests for Congress
• Lawmakers Hit Halfway

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Telluride Loses a Community Member

Telluride lost a member of its community over the weekend. Ross Martin was found dead in his Lawson Hill home on Saturday morning. He was 49 years old.

Martin was a dreamer. He loved the mountains and the outdoors – hiking and skiing. He was a pro at serving up great food and drink. But the greatest love of his life was his girls.

The cause and manner of death are under investigation. Crippin Funeral Home will attend to services.

Martin is survived by his parents, Jack and Nina; his brother, Derek; and his daughters, Ava, Sofia, and Lyla.

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Mountain Village Turns 30

Thirty years ago today, the Town of Mountain Village officially incorporated itself as a home-rule municipality.

“Mountain Village is one of the younger communities in all of Colorado, and for being as young as we are, I think we’re punching above our weight in how much we’ve been able to accomplish over the last thirty years,” said Mountain Village Mayor Marti Prohaska.

“When I moved here with my family in 1992, there was one house on Benchmark Drive – which was ours. There were very few full-time, year-round residents, and in the time since we’ve evolved into a robust local community that has a lot of its own character and motivation to be a player in the regional conversations of making our whole destination as great as it is,” she said.

Mountain Village was born out of the ski resort in the 1970s, became a San Miguel County planned neighborhood in the 1980s, and officially became a town on March 10, 1995.

Mountain Village held its first Town Council meeting on March 29. KOTO News’ Debra Goldberg was there to report.

“Mayor Darryl Huschke presided over the first Mountain Village Town Council meeting last night, presenting a vision of government organization he compared to a Chief Executive Officer, and his board of directors. Huschke handed out descriptions of seven proposed town departments and nominated individuals to head each department, including Cathy Goodwin as Town Manager,” Goldberg reported.

Prohaska notes the grit and vision it took to make Mountain Village what it is today.

“That took a lot of work from the folks that were boots on the ground back in the day (which there were very few of those people). They had the vision and motivation to turn it into an actual town. In the thirty years since, there’s been a lot more work to turn it into a true community.”

Prohaska points to work on affordable housing, regional projects, and the relationships the town has made.

“Mountain Village started as the underappreciated village up on the hill that people were skeptical of or didn’t trust. The town councils and the staff have worked really hard to show that we’re here and we’re part of this regional community, wanting to be engaged and involved and collaborating on some of the problems we all face in this part of the state.”

Looking ahead to the next 30 years, Prohaska says she’s excited for what’s in store – more affordable housing, involvement with the wastewater treatment plant, and the gondola.

“But also, I would really love to see our resort destination evolve and change in positive ways and I think that will take a lot more work moving forward, really visioning how we want not just our communities, but the ski resort that supports our communities, what we want that to look like, and how we all want to support what that becomes in the next three decades,” she said.

At the heart of it all, Mayor Prohaska emphasizes it’s the people who have made Mountain Village what it is today.

“The staff is not what brought me to the job, but keeps me wanting to do it. They are going to work on a day-to-day basis. I’m just really blessed and lucky to be part of that. And to be part of a town council that’s really high-functioning and motivated and brings so much dedication,” Prohaska said.

Mountain Village plans to celebrate the 30-year milestone all year long and hold a community celebration later this summer.

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Commissioners Talk Local Funding Requests for Congress

Despite sweeping federal funding cuts, local governments still have opportunities to advocate for more funding during this Congressional session.

These opportunities are called congressional spending requests. As San Miguel County Manager Mike Bordogna says, Colorado Senators Michael Bennett and John Hickenlooper are willing to help.

“These are local projects that the Senators have the ability to put in as riders to other legislation that is, or will be, passed throughout the year,” Bordogna said.

Commissioners and staff discussed local congressional spending requests during their March 5 meeting. Requests are due to the Senators on March 24, and while there’s no limit to the number of requests, Senators have suggested three requests, with an expectation of one full award. Bordogna said awards are unlikely.

“In previous years, I know that the Town of Telluride also applied for a million dollars for a new water line, and that was also not funded. We’ve locally seen where projects were awarded, such as Rico’s wastewater treatment plant. Unfortunately, the ballot measure to fund the matching funds for that was not successful, so that project didn’t move forward,” Bordogna said.

While federal dollars can help with larger capital projects, Bordogna cautioned that they also come with federal reporting requirements.

“I’m always reticent to take federal funds, especially given where we are nationally as far as federal funding goes,” Bordogna said.

Commissioner Galena Gleason advocated for Norwood area projects, some of which had past congressional funding requests, including Norwood Water infrastructure, the Uncompahgre Medical Center, and the Norwood Fire Protection District.

“There is a need there. I would highly recommend we support that. Because the potential of that project is really hinging on these federal dollars, and from my perspective, it’s a real high priority countywide. I did also hear from Uncompahgre Medical Clinic—they reached out to me asking to write a support letter for their ask for a transportation van,” Gleason said.

Gleason noted that requests are required to be shovel-ready and that the Norwood Water Commission’s redundant water line project is pretty close to that status.

“Without directing the ask, one thing I did notice reading through this is projects will be prioritized that are shovel-ready. I think that the Norwood project, I’ve just been listening to water commission meetings. There’s some alignment that this project would be shovel-ready, and I think they could get there,” Gleason said.

The Norwood Water Commission received a Colorado Water Conservation Board grant to fund planning for a secondary backup water delivery line for the Town of Norwood. Congressionally directed funding would help get the project across the finish line.

“With that application deadline of March 24, the funding—if the project was awarded—would be available after Q2 of 2026. So, realistically, it would be Q3 or Q4, so the end of 2026. I think that hopefully would assist those projects in being more shovel-ready,” Bordogna said.

Bordogna and Commissioners agreed that there are no countywide projects to include in spending requests. For the Norwood projects, they’ll help shepherd the requests to Senators and decide on prioritization at a later meeting.

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Lawmakers Hit Halfway

Colorado’s General Assembly is officially halfway through its 2025 legislative session. This week on Capitol Conversation, Statehouse reporter Lucas Brady Woods shares what’s in store for the second half.

Story beings at 9:35.

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Skidola to Benefit Avalanche Education Fund

Get your snowshoes or skins ready…the Telluride Foundation’s fifth annual Skidola is coming to town.

The winter equivalent of the Rundola, the Skidola is an uphill race starting from the base of the Gondola in Telluride and finishing at the top of the ridge by San Sophia Station. Racers gain nearly 2,000 feet in elevation—any way they can on snow, whether by snowshoe or skis and skins.

The race is a fundraiser for the Telluride Mountain Club’s Peter Inglis Avalanche Education Fund, which aims to create opportunities for avalanche education and backcountry awareness.

The Skidola will take place on Friday, March 14, starting at 5 p.m. Everyone is encouraged to participate. There are prizes for “fastest overall,” “best costume,” and “middle place.” Registration is available at runsignup.com – search for Skidola.

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Rallies Call for Continued Funding of Science

“Stand Up for Science” rallies took place at state capitols and on college campuses around the country last Friday.

About 150 people participated in a walkout on the University of Colorado campus in Boulder.

Organizers say they are calling for continued federal funding of science.

“Right now the proposed budget includes things like a 50 percent workforce reduction at the National Science Foundation, which is basically the committee that really oversees like scientific spending and oversees a lot of the grants that even my lab works with,” they said.

Organizers are also calling for an end to political censorship of science and protections for diversity, equity, and inclusion initiatives—arguing that science should be accessible to everyone.

In Salt Lake City, people gathered at the Utah State Capitol. One of them was Dr. Hilary Hewes.

“We as pediatricians strongly believe in science. We strongly believe in vaccinations. We think it’s one of the most important advances in childhood health in the last century,” Hewes said.

Other events took place at the Colorado State House in Denver and at the School of Mines in Golden, Colorado.

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Wolves May Be Forming New Pack in Wyoming

Every year, wolves in Northwest Wyoming form about three new packs.

As KHOL’s Dante Filpula Ankney reports for Rocky Mountain Community Radio, one may be forming right now at the southern tip of Grand Teton National Park—something exciting for wildlife enthusiasts.

Story begins at 16:54.